


TAZ Amnesty Reader Inserts

by TheSnork



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Fluff, Multi, cryptid, oneshots, reader - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-21
Updated: 2020-04-06
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:48:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 25,772
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25243405
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSnork/pseuds/TheSnork
Summary: These are all oneshots unless otherwise stated!Requests are open but I’m very slow at writing :)Published on other websites.
Relationships: Agent Stern (The Adventure Zone)/Original Character(s), Agent Stern/Reader, Duck Newton/Original Character(s), Duck Newton/Reader, Hollis/Original Character(s), Hollis/Reader, Indrid Cold (The Adventure Zone)/Original Character(s), Indrid Cold/Reader, Jake Coolice/Original Character(s), Jake Coolice/Reader, Kirby (The Adventure Zone)/Original Character(s), Kirby (The Adventure Zone)/Reader
Comments: 9
Kudos: 18





	1. Indrid Cold/Reader

**Author's Note:**

> These were not getting any attention on wattpad so here I am, still trying to figure out how tags on ao3 work!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Inappropriate mothman shirt who?

21 JUL 2019

The shirts link is  
https://teespring.com/IFUCKEDTHEMOTHMAN?tsmac=store&tsmic=fauning#pid=2&cid=2397&sid=front  
If you're interested in buying it!

—————

You felt like you were being kept in the dark about something, your good friend Aubrey assured you that you were just being silly but you knew better than to downplay your gut feeling.

You'd moved to Kepler after a childhood of being fascinated by the unknown, you'd read about a lot of unexplainable things happening here and decided it was your best bet to get involved in the action but so far you'd experienced nothing.  
Saying you were disappointed was an understatement.  
You know Aubrey was up to something, she'd often make plans and then disappear off the face of the earth with that park ranger, Duck, and the owner of the Cryptonomica, Ned.  
You had no clue why the three of them were part of each other's lives and every time you asked Aubrey would change the topic.

You didn't mind being alone but there's only so many hours you can waste reading conspiracy theories and wandering around the woods, looking for anything unusual.  
You'd messaged Aubrey to see if she was busy and surprisingly she said she wasn't.  
You grinned at your phone and asked if she'd like to hang out in town and grab something to eat.  
She agreed.  
You grabbed whatever clean clothes you could find and got changed, you were very excited to hang out with Aubrey, it'd been a hot minute since the two of you got to catch up.

You arrived in town and locked your bike to a nearby pole, you wouldn't expect anyone in Kepler to steal your bike but you can never be to careful.  
The weather was lovely, aside from being on the cold side the sky was clear and the air was crisp.  
You felt a tap on your shoulder and turned around to be greeted with the smiling face of your friend.  
"Aubrey!!"  
You hugged her with a grin,  
"It's been well too long!" You said as she hugged you back.  
"Right? I thought you might've wasted away in your cabin!" She joked.  
"You know that's probably not too far off" you shot back as the two of you started to walk along the street.  
"You look lovely as always!" You said as you looked at what she was wearing, "I could say the same for you, interesting shirt choice" she said with a confused chuckle.  
You glanced down, you were indeed wearing an interesting shirt.  
"Oh, I found it online a few months ago and it spoke to me" you laughed nervously.  
"I haven't really fucked the Mothman if that wasn't clear!" You continued to dig yourself in deeper.  
"Although I'm sure if I met the Mothman it wouldn't be off the cards" you keep rambling, becoming less and less sure why you were still talking.  
Aubrey looked uncomfortable to say the least,  
"Who knows, you might be his type?" She joked. The awkward energy continued to linger.  
"Sorry that's not what I expected to be talking about today!" You cleared up as you stopped out front a diner.  
"Keen?" You asked her as you motioned towards the door, "yeah for sure!" She said with a grin.

To say you and Aubrey came here often would be an understatement, the two of you got chips and milkshakes from here almost every time you were together, which used to be quite often.  
The two of you sat down and began to chat,  
"So what's news?" You asked as you studied her face for any signs of nervousness  
"The usual! Dani and I have been teaching Dr Harris Bonkers new tricks! He's getting really good!" She said with a grin.  
"That's great!" You smiled.  
She was definitely hiding something.  
"Oh hey so I was thinking-"  
You were cut off by Aubrey's phone ringing,  
She looked at the ID and her eyes went wide.  
"I'm sorry (y/n) I've gotta take this" She said as she scurried outside the diner.  
Of course, nothing was sacred.

After a few moments of tracing the patterns in the laminex table Aubrey came back inside.  
She looked tense, "hey.. I'm really sorry but I have to go, I promise I'll make it up to you!"  
She apologised as she grabbed her bag.  
"It's fine! Duty calls!" You played it off.  
She just nodded, said a farewell and was out the door before you could fully process what was going on.  
Hang on a moment! Maybe you could trail behind her and find out what was going on!  
It was definitely wrong to stalk your friend, but something suspicious was going on and if she wasn't going to tell you what was going on you were going to find out.

You rushed out of the diner and legged it towards your bike, you unlocked it and glanced up just in time to see Aubrey turn around the corner, bingo.  
You cycled after her, keeping a distance between the two so you'd have the element of stealth on your side.

You eventually followed her to a trailer park, that's unusual?  
You watched her knock on the door of a trailer and then go inside, that's it!  
You set your bike down beside the trailer and got closer to it.

You crouched down beside the trailer and pressed your ear to the wall,  
You could hear muffled voices, Aubrey... Duck.. Definitely Ned, and one you didn't recognise.  
You struggled to understand what they were saying, you could make out words but it didn't really make sense.  
That was until you heard the voice you couldn't place say "there's a girl outside the trailer listening to us"  
WHAT!? How did he know you were there?  
The door kicked open and there stood Duck,  
"How much did you hear?" He said in a very intimidating voice.  
"I-"  
"(Y/n)? What're you doing here?" Aubrey poked her head into the doorway.  
"You know her?" Asked Duck as he glanced at Aubrey.  
"Yeah she's my friend!" Aubrey said as she looked at you with a confused expression.  
"Were you spying on me?" She asked with a hurt look.  
"You've been hiding something from me I just wanted to know what it was!" You argued, making your situation worse.  
"Screw this" Duck sighed, he grabbed the collar of your shirt and tossed you into the van, slamming the door behind you.  
You hit the back wall pretty hard, slightly dazed you glared up at the four of them.  
"What's really going on" You asked firmly as you grasped your now sore head.  
"Nuh uh you don't get to ask the questions" Duck said as he crouched down in front of you.  
"Duck cmon she's not conspiring against us or anything!" Aubrey argued.  
"We don't know that!" Duck shot back as he turned around to adress Aubrey.  
"Actually, Aubrey is right" the person you didn't know spoke up.  
"She doesn't know anything about this, she was just trying to figure out where Aubrey disappeared to." He continued.  
"Thank you!" You sighed and rubbed your head.  
"My head hurts."  
"Your head hurts"  
The two of you spoke at the same time.  
"What the fuck?"  
You looked up at him.  
His big red glasses reflected your confused face.  
"I'm sorry I haven't introduced myself, I'm Indrid, it's nice to finally meet you" he said as he turned around and opened the freezer.  
Before you could say anything he continued,  
"And you're (Y/n?), correct?"  
"Uh,, yes, that's me." You said,  
Still very dazed from hitting your head.  
"Well now that we've skipped past the pleasantries don't you think we should get back to uh, business?" Said Ned as he eyed Duck.  
"Well not with her still here!" Said Duck as he turned back around to you.  
"We can't just kick her out!" Argued Aubrey.  
As the three of them fought about what they were going to do to you Indrid found what he was looking for in the freezer, an ice pack.  
He quickly wrapped it in a town and handed it to you, "for your head" he said with a small smile.  
"Oh... thank you." You smiled up at him.  
You placed the ice on your head and closed your eyes.  
"Luckily you're not concussed, but I think you'll get a lump." He said as he crouched in front of you, "would you like to lie down on the couch for a minute?" He asked, you nodded,  
"As much as I love the floor" you joked.  
He helped you up as the three continued to argue about what to do with you.  
You stretched out on the couch and closed your eyes, your head was proving to be a lot worse than you'd thought.  
"Oh.. that's an interesting shirt" you heard Indrid say,  
You opened one eye to see him staring at it quite carefully.  
"Maybe I should throw it out.." you thought out loud.  
"Aubrey said I might be the Mothmans type but this shirt sends the wrong message" you laughed as you closed your eyes again, missing Indrid's horrified expression.  
"I didn't say that!" Aubrey shouted.

"Mmhmmm" You hummed sleepily.  
"Anyway I think I might go home and take a nap" You said as you slowly sat up.  
"I'll come with you, I don't think you should be alone you look pretty bad." Aubrey said as she helped you up.  
"Aw man really, it's the shirt huh?" You grinned at her, "I didn't mean bad like that you dingus" she rolled her eyes.

"Thank you for the hospitality Indrid, I'll make sure Aubrey returns the ice pack and towel." You said, Indrid only nodded.  
"Duck, Ned, a pleasure like usual."  
Ned said some stupid farewell and Duck apologised about your head.

The walk home was quiet.  
Nobody said anything.  
Until,  
"I'm sorry for keeping you in the dark, I promise the moment it's safe for you to know I will tell you."  
Aubrey said as she made eye contact,  
"I promise, the only reason I haven't shared any of this stuff with you is because it's dangerous information."  
You looked back at the road.  
"I understand,, I'm sorry I shouldn't have followed you"  
You apologised.  
"It's fine, I probably would've done the same thing if I felt like something was going on."  
You smiled at you, you smiled back.  
The rest of the walk was silent but in a comfortable way.

When you got home Aubrey said her farewells and you went to take a nap.

You woke up around 9pm, just great.  
You peered our your window to see the moon was shining quite bright.  
Perhaps a walk in the forest would do you good after sleeping most of the day.  
You pulled on a warm jacket and laced up your boots, grabbing your camera you headed out the door and into the cold night air.  
The moment you pulled the key out of your door you heard a scuffle around the back of your house.  
You tensed, you could just go back inside and pretend you didn't hear anything but the voice in your head told you to investigate, so that's what you did.

Sneaking around the side of your house you turned your camera on, if it was a burglar you'd be able to snap a photo and take it to the station in the morning.  
You peaked your camera around the corner and looked in the viewfinder.  
That's....  
That's not possible...  
You rounded the corner and standing there in front of you was the Mothman...  
Holding your bicycle...

You had to be dreaming there was no way this was happening.  
"Excuse me?" You quickly asked,  
It's head spun around to look at you as it dropped the bike.  
You smiled, "that's my bike? Did you bring it back?" You asked, trying to defuse the situation, if it got startled and flew away that would be it.  
It continued to stare at you, wide eyed.  
"Oh! Hang on I won't take any photos of you!" You said as you looked down to switch off your camera,  
The Mothman continued to look at you and you stared back.  
There was silence.  
"What're you doing in Kepler? Is,, is everything alright?" You asked.  
The Mothman was believed to be an omen of death, so you were rightfully concerned.  
The Mothman didn't speak, of course.  
You stepped closer, it stepped back.  
"I'm sorry I don't want to hurt you, god that's the last thing I'd dream of doing" you said, hoping it could understand you.  
"I just want,, I just want to know you're real." You said, a silly blush covering your face.  
"This is so special you have no idea how many nights I've spent watching the sky, just hoping to catch a glimpse of you" you admitted.  
It continued to stay silent.  
"I'm sorry that's so embarrassing to say!" You apologised to it as you hesitated to come closer.  
There was a moment where you just stared before your eyes trailed to your bike.  
"How did you know this was mine?"  
You asked, the mothmans eyes widened,  
"I was going to pick it up tomorrow but this saves me a long walk, it was very thoughtful of you" you smiled.  
It just nodded.  
"I don't suppose, you'd like to come in...?"  
You mentally punched yourself.  
"I'm sorry that's forward of me, I promise I don't have anything sketchy planned I just,,, I just am really happy to see you."  
You rambled.  
The Mothman nodded and started walking towards you, "oh!" You said in shock.  
"Okay! Sure!" You grinned as you lead it towards the front door.  
Once you'd fumbled with you keys and apologised to the actual Mothman several times you got the door opened and let it inside.

Once inside it stood awkwardly in the middle of the room, looking around at the walls.  
"Oh this is embarrassing!" You panicked, your walls were covered in all sorts of newspaper clippings and blurry photos, a large portion being on the Mothman.  
"You're welcome to sit if you'd like, I can get you a drink?"  
You questioned as it made its way towards your couch.  
"Tea? Coffee? Soft drink?" It shook its head, "ummm" you looked in the fridge, "eggnog?" You asked.  
Instantly it perked up and nodded  
"Oh great!" You said as you grabbed two glasses.  
"I love eggnog so around this time of year I tend to go a bit crazy with it" You chatted away, not expecting a reply.  
You placed it's glass on the coffee table,  
"There you are!" You smiled.  
There was a moment where nobody made any moves, that was until the Mothman started to shuffle over on the couch, oh?  
Was it making room for you to sit?  
Unsure of yourself, you made your way over to the couch.  
You sat down beside the real Mothman and took a sip of your eggnog.  
Both of you were quiet, you could feel its fur brush against you arm gently and you went rigid, you stupid dumb monster fucker!  
You shook the thought from your head and watched the Mothman try to pick up its glass with its wings, seemingly struggling.  
You were about to offer help when he accidentally knocked it over and spilled it all over the table and floor.  
"Shit!"

You froze, "come again?" You asked.  
"Shit shit shit!" It stool up rather quickly and knocked a few things off the arm of the couch.  
It frantically looked around for something to mop up the spill with.  
"Hey! Hey, it's fine!"  
You said kindly, "it's alright!" You hushed it,  
"Let me get some paper towels!"  
You hurried over to the kitchen and grabbed the towels, circling back around you went over and began to clean up the spill.  
"No harm done" You said gently as you laid some towels on the carpet to soak up the eggnog.  
"I'll get you another glass and a straw?"  
You offered,  
"No, look it's stupid of me to be like this in here" it said rather tiredly.  
You were surprised it was talking to you now.  
"I'm sorry you don't have to stay.." you apologised as you watched it fiddle with something.  
"I didn't mean that, I just.. I'm sorry I spilt the eggnog" it, or rather he, said.  
"No no believe me it's quite alright!"  
You smiled as the two of you stood in the living room, not too sure where to go from there.  
"What've you got there?" You asked.  
"Maybe it's better if I just... show you?" He said, you nodded.

The Mothman held up a pair of red glasses you'd definitely seen before, he put them on and in a flash the Mothman was gone and in his place was the man from the van today.

"Indrid..?"  
You stared at him, "what's... what's going on?"  
He looked nervous, "is this a prank?" You asked, holding back a sob.  
His eyes widened, "no no no!" He rushed over to you, "please don't cry" he said as he placed his hands on your shoulders.  
"Aubrey told me how much you liked the Mothman and I thought it was sweet so I brought your bike back but I didn't expect you to see me and I just, knew this would be a special moment for you.."  
He trailed off, you stayed quiet.  
"I didn't want you to let you down"  
He said quietly as he looked away from you.  
You smiled and wiped your tears away,  
"That's really kind of you"  
You glanced back up at you and quickly looked away again as he noticed your blushy cheeks.  
He took his hands off your shoulders,  
"Maybe I should leave"  
He turned towards the door,  
"Wait!" You grabbed onto his wrist,  
"You still haven't had your eggnog!"  
You said the first thing you could think of to keep him here.  
He stayed quiet for a moment,  
"Well I suppose you're right"  
He turned back around.  
"Now that you're talking we could play a board game or something?" You offered, not knowing what else to say.

He nodded, "that sounds lovely".  
You smiled and hurried into the kitchen to get him a new glass of eggnog.  
Once you'd set that down of the coffee table you went to grab a board game, perhaps he'd like checkers?

You sat down opposite him and set the board up, while you were doing that he kept looking at you funny, was something wrong?  
"Did I spill something on my shirt?"  
You looked down only to be re reminded of the apparently worst shirt you could've picked today.  
"Oh! Oh no!" Your face went red,  
"I'm sorry that's... shit!"  
You glanced up at him as you fussed, his face matched your red one pretty spot on.  
"I'm sorry I'll change" you stood up,  
"It's.. fine" he said as he cleared this throat.  
"Besides maybe Aubrey was right"  
He grinned at you.  
"Oh..?" You recalled what Aubrey had said.

"OH!"


	2. Joseph Stern/Sylph!Reader

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oops maybe don’t dip in the hot springs when the resident FBI agent is around!

23 SEPT 2019  
Publishing this the day before the final episode of Amnesty could go either one of two ways, enjoy!

Amnesty Lodge had been your home for longer than you could remember,  
You'd always felt safe and just generally good about living there with your fellow sylphs and now recently, Aubrey.  
Which is why things took a turn when the FBI agent arrived in town and decided to stay in Amnesty Lodge.  
Agent Stern, by name, was an FBI agent who was investigating the recent video of Bigfoot, or as you knew him, Barclay. You'd spoken with Stern a few times but like the rest of Amnesty Lodge, you'd thought it best to keep your distance.  
Everyone had been on edge since Agent Stern arrived, everyone was extra cautious not to slip up on anything or to let out too much information, and everyone made it a point to act like you weren't all a big family.

It was a Tuesday afternoon and the lodge was completely silent, everyone was either out or locked away in their rooms, which is why you'd decided to take a quick dip in the springs, the stress vibes weren't doing wonders for you and a relaxing soak seemed to be just what you needed.  
You grabbed your swimsuit and a towel then scampered outside, hoping to keep the noise level down and not be bothered by anyone.  
The sun shone down on the springs behind Amnesty Lodge and the watered glistened as it reflected it's rays.  
Today was beautiful.  
You set your towel down and gently lowered yourself into the spring, the warm water was a stark contrast from the cool air but you quickly got used to it, after all, today was good.  
The birds chirped and the wind rustled the leaves, you couldn't hear anything aside the calming sounds of nature, it was blissful.  
Perhaps...  
Maybe you could take your necklace off, just for a moment..?  
No that is a stupid idea!  
Unless...

You hadn't taken it off in a long time and it was becoming a bit bothersome, just a few moments wouldn't hurt you decided.  
Undoing the clasp broke the illusion and you returned to your true form, one you liked much better.  
You closed your eyes and smiled up into the sky, today was perfect.  
Nothing could ruin this-

You heard a twig break, your eyes snapped open to see a very distressed looking Agent Stern. You're joking right?  
You lurched backwards and away from Stern who at the sudden movement reached for his gun.  
"No no no no no wait!" You cried out, clearly in panic.  
"Wait a minute... Y/n.?"  
Agent Stern gasped.  
You stayed quiet and continued to stare at him, the jig was up, there was no way out of this one.  
You sighed and reached for your necklace, Stern had long since dropped the arm that was reaching for the gun, he clearly had no intention of shooting you on sight which was a positive.  
You re clasped your necklace and just like that you were back to your human disguise.  
"How..? What are you!?" Agent Stern asked, still trying to wrap his mind around what he just saw, there was no way he just watched some sort of cryptid turn into the cute girl at Amnesty Lodge.

"I don't.. you can't tell anyone about this" you said, suddenly realising the depth of the situation, maybe you could play this off.  
"I'm worried if the residents of Amnesty Lodge found out what I was they'd give me the boot" you continued, trying to get the rest of your friends out of the oven, they didn't need to pay for your slip up.  
"I'm.. I have so many questions" Agent Stern said as he tapped the tips of his fingers against each other.  
"Look, Stern, I'll answer whatever questions you have just, please you can't tell anyone about this" you said as you looked into his eyes, hoping to find some form of agreement.  
"I'm not really meant to keep secrets you know.." he frowned, you sighed and reached for your towel.  
"What will you do then? Take me into custody or something?" You asked while drying your hair.  
"Of course not! I don't think,, I don't think my associates have much compassion when it comes to matters like these.." he explained.  
You nodded, "let's talk about it inside" you said grimly, hoping desperately you could buy his silence with information, you knew the guy was a huge nerd about stuff like this so you were hoping he'd be too excited about your knowledge to sell you out.  
He nodded and gave you a hand getting out of the spring, the two of you walked side by side back to the lodge, every few moments Agent Stern would glance over at you, it was understandable but none the less uncomfortable.  
You can't believe you slipped up this badly, being seen by anyone who wasn't from Sylvain was bad enough but the cute FBI agent who was here specifically to investigate cryptids? Fuck that noise.

The two of you arrived back at the lodge which was still seemingly empty although you did catch Jake's eye on your way through the lobby who sent you a concerned look, you shot back a weak smile in return.  
You unlocked the door to your room and held it open for Stern, he seemed iffy about going into your room funnily enough, "I'm not going to murder you behind closed doors or anything geez" you said as you shooed him inside.  
"I wasn't thinking about that!" He spluttered as you sat down on your bed, he took a seat in your desk chair and the two of you stared intensely at each other.

"You have no reason to trust me, as far as things are for you I'm probably the enemy, right?" He asked you, you gave an uncomfortable nod,  
"So this is why you've been avoiding me?" He asked again, "I didn't think you'd noticed" you said sheepishly.  
"I've done nothing but try and get your attention and you've blown me off every time, I actually feel a lot better knowing this is the reason why!" He laughed a bit and you smiled.  
He really wasn't so bad, you're sure any other FBI agent would have turned you in already but he seemed to have settled down and was just happy to talk.  
"Thank you, Agent Stern, you have no idea-"  
"Please just call me Joseph" he cut you off with a nervous smile.  
Joseph, it sounded very right.  
"Joseph.. you cannot understand how much I appreciate you not.. grassing on me"  
You said as you stared at him,  
He nodded,  
"Can I ask some questions now?" He asked as he took out a notebook.  
"Shoot"

"Is (y/n) your real name?"  
"Yes, it is"  
"Where do you come from?"  
"A different world, I'm sorry I can't tell you any more I can't risk endangering my people."  
He nodded and continued on.  
This seemed like less of an FBI interrogation and more like two new friends learning things about one another, except he was the only one doing the learning.  
After lots of funny questions like "what do you eat?" And "why are you here?" Joseph had closed his notebook.  
"One more!" He said with a sparkle in his eyes, he looked like a kid on a field trip.  
"Of course" You smiled.

"Can I see what you really look like again?"

"Oh.." suddenly you were extremely self conscious, "I don't.."  
"I'm sorry was that uncalled for?" Joseph asked, he looked genuinely sorry.  
"No it's fine,, I'm fine! You're fine!"  
You said anxiously as you fiddled with the clasp of your necklace.  
"I just don't want you to think any less of me is all.." you laughed at yourself.  
"(Y/n).. you know that won't happen right?" Joseph said, suddenly getting very serious.  
You nodded and finally undid the clasp.

You studied Joseph's face closely, you wanted to catch his full reaction.  
And you did, his eyes lit up immediately as he very quickly leant forward and stared at you closely.  
He looked like a kid on Christmas, although you guess to have chased loose ends your entire life and then finally meet a real cryptid would be amazing.  
Then suddenly he put down his notebook and cupped your face, staring deeply at all the differences that were now visible.  
You couldnt help the rising blush on your cheeks, you understood that this was a learning experience for him and this level of intimacy was purely for the pursuit of knowledge but all you were learning was that maybe you might have a small, tiny, minuscule thing for the FBI agent sitting across from you.  
You were a monster to him though, there was no way he'd like you back, you're sure he's only talking to you to get information and once he's satisfied he'll leave you alone again.

"Beautiful..." you heard him quietly mumble,  
Oh... OH?  
You stayed silent and stared off the the side, breaking eye contact with Joseph who didn't seem to notice what he'd said.  
"You're stunning" he said as he leaned back in his seat and let go of your face.  
"I wish you didn't have to hide what you really look like all the time" he said sincerely with a sheepish grin.  
"Neither do I" You agreed as you reached for your necklace.  
"But it can't be helped" you said and you did the clasp back up and faced Joseph again.  
"Well when it's just us you don't have to wear that" he started strong but seemed to falter towards the end.  
"I mean if you're comfortable around me.. I am an FBI agent and all.." he said slowly.  
And he was right, technically the two of you shouldn't be friends, he should have reported this the second he saw you and you should've been more careful to avoid him.  
"But if you'd like to leave it off when it's just the two of us that would be nice.." he said as he averted his gaze.  
"So you want to do this again then?" You asked, trying to narrow down what he was talking about,  
"If you'd like I can just keep answering questions today I don't have much else to do" You pitched as you picked at the dirt under your nails.  
"Oh no I meant... you don't think I'm only here because I want to learn right?"  
The two of you were silent,  
"Well in a sense that's the case but it isn't that surface level you know." He continued the ramble,  
"You probably didn't notice due to understandably trying to avoid me but.. I think I would like to get to know you better! And not just you as a species but you as a person."  
You were a little stunned by the sudden confession.  
"Are you sure, I mean.. I would love that but I am sort of a monster." You frowned,  
He shook his head and reached for your hands.  
"You're not a monster. Different, sure, but that doesn't make you a monster" he offered a blushy smile and you returned one equally as red.  
"That sounds nice then, just the two of us"  
You agreed.


	3. Hollis/Reader

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I’m very bad at summaries it seems? Oh snap is that Hollis The Adventure Zone!!?

Published 24 NOV 2019  
This wasn't your idea of a fun evening in Kepler, in fact it was quite the opposite...  
After a late shift at your workplace you were left to walk home in the dusky autumn evening. Not that Kepler was a dangerous town, in fact you felt quite safe and at home here, you just didn't love being around the sketchy parts of town so late in the day.  
So this explained your fast pased steps along the footpath, hands tucked firmly into the warm pockets of your jacket. You were hoping to get home in good time and have a cup of tea before bed. You replayed the idea over and over in your head and tried to let your thoughts drift away from your current situation.  
Which was hard considering the shuffling you could hear in a nearby alleyway.  
You walked a little faster and tried to think happy thoughts, although whatever was making the scuffle was getting louder/closer.

By the time you were at the mouth of the alleyway there was enough light from a nearby lamp pole to illuminate a large murky shape.  
A monster?  
You froze for a moment and observed the figure, thoughts racing to push a rational idea to the front of your mind.   
No, it was definitely a monster.  
Disregarding the option of staying where you were any longer you hurried away from the alleyway only to kick a can you hadn't noticed half way across the street.  
A large beastial noise from the alleyway tipped you off that whatever was in there was now aware of your presence and it was indeed time to go.  
Not wasting another second you tore ass away from whatever was now coming out of the alleyway and heading in your direction.  
The thing was hot on your heels as you legged it down the street, you weren't fast enough and you'd run out of stamina in a minute.  
"HELP!!" You cried as you spared a glance back at what you could confidently call a monster. "PLEASE HELP ME!" You yelled as you saw a building in the distance.  
You weren't familiar with this part of town but the building appeared to be some type of motorcycle club? There were various bikes parked out the front and the lights were on inside.  
Anywhere was better than being on the street with the monster.  
Hot tears were rolling down your face now as you tried to run faster.  
"SOMEBODY PLEASE HELP!" You shouted as you gained on the building you could now clearly see was full of life.  
You noticed a figure appear in the doorframe and then quickly bolt back inside.  
Were they going to lock you out?  
You were long since tired and your legs were burning, you could still hear the monster behind you, ever so slowly gaining on your struggling form.

The figure then reappeared in the doorway,  
"Hurry up and get inside!" It shouted at you.  
Hope.  
You pushed harder and sprinted inside.  
The door slammed shut behind you and was instantly barricaded, you noticed lots of people closing blinds and grabbing their respective melee weapons.  
You were too stunned to say anything. You decided straight away to sit down cross legged on the floor and take a beat.  
"Are you alright?" The same voice asked you.  
You looked up to see a person around your age, they wore yellow and black attire, in fact, everyone in here did... oh!  
"You're the Hornets.." You suddenly went pale  
The Hornets were a group of bikers with a reputation for being somewhat radical.  
"That's not answering my question" the person said crouching down in front of you, they looked you over to see if you were noticeably injured.  
"I'm.. I'm alright, thank you"  
They nodded, "Do you have a name?" They asked, you hesitated.  
"(Y/n)" you said quietly, coming down from the big adrenaline rush.  
"Well (y/n), I'm Hollis, the leader of the Hornets" they put their hand out, you took it and they helped you up.  
"Hollis.. thank you" You smiled at them.  
Before they could answer there was a large banging on the door.  
All the Hornets seemed to be ready and waiting for the threat at hand, oddly enough.  
"Let's get you a glass of water and then you can tell me what's out there" Hollis said and they wrapped their arm around your shoulders and led you to a back room.  
They sat you down on a couch and left, you assumed to get you a glass of water.  
What a night, you weren't sure if you'd be able to explain what this thing was to Hollis even if you tried, but they did really save your ass so you owe it to them to give it a shot.  
You got a little caught up in your thoughts and didn't notice when Hollis came back into the room. They set down a glass of water on the coffee table in front of you and sat down in a chair across from you.  
"How're you feeling" they asked gently, you gave a shaky nod, "better now, thank you" you offered a small smile.  
They smiled back at you with a nod,  
"It's the least we can do, don't know if you can tell but we're used to this sort of thing happening every now and again.." they said as they rubbed the back of their neck.  
"It's lucky I landed here then isn't it.."  
You thought out loud as you reached for the water.  
"Now, I don't know how much you can tell me about whatever's out there but what I do know is that we're not gonna be able to get rid of it 100% on our own and until it's gone it's not gonna be safe to be out and about so I'm gonna request you stay here the night and I'll take you back to your home in the morning"  
You paused with the glass resting against your lips,  
"I think... "  
you hesitated, the Hornets were known to be a bit rowdy and often at times defying the law but, they did save your life, and so far Hollis has been nothing but nice to you.  
"I think that's a good idea" you smiled at them.  
Hollis turned their head to the side and attempted to shield a now present blush.  
"Great" they breathed out.  
There was a break in the conversation, one long enough for you to really get a good look at Hollis, they were stunning to look at.  
And they were saying something, what were they saying?  
"Hey!" They snapped their fingers in front of your face, "you there?" They almost laughed out. "Sorry I'm a bit, not great" you blushed.  
"I asked if you could tell me about the monster" Hollis repeated themselves.

"It was big, and fast.. god it was really fast. But I'm sorry I didn't get a good look at it.." You grimaced, "there's not much more I could tell you" You apologised.  
"No it's fine! You've been through enough I'll let you get some rest if you'd like" they said standing up.  
Oh..  
"Do you.. never mind" you quickly cut yourself off, Hollis turned around.  
"What is it?" They asked you, not breaking eye contact.  
"It's silly please forget I said anything!" You waved them off with a small smile.  
"No c'mon if there's something you need let me know" Hollis encouraged you.  
"This is dumb so feel free to say no, but maybe, could you stay with me for a little bit?" You grimaced at your own words.

"Sure" they said simply like it was nothing, but the pink dusting on their cheeks said otherwise.  
They sat down across from you and crossed their legs up on the couch, "so, are you local?" They asked as they stared at you.  
You nodded, "I've been here a few years now" You grimaced at how shaky your voice was coming out.  
"I'd ask the same but you seem well established here" you smiled up at them and they chuckled. "Yeah, I guess that's a way of putting it"  
There was another break in the conversation,  
"I'm sure you've heard about The Hornets, I hope you're not scared of us.." Hollis said with a awkward chuckle, "we don't particularly have the best reputation but I can tell you that they're all good people, you're safe when you're with us." They finally settled on a point of their rambling and nodded slightly at you.  
"Thank you, I'll be honest I was shellshocked when I came in but I'm, I'm not scared of you, if that's what you're wondering, Hollis."  
You smiled warmly at them, once again being reminded just how nice they were to look at.

You don't remember when you fell asleep but by the time you woke up the sun was peaking through the blinds.  
Someone had given you a pillow and blanket and had tucked you into the couch, though you weren't sure, you could name one person who might've done that.  
You slowly sat up and checked the time on your phone, 7:45am. You stretched your arms and wriggled out from under the covers, you hoped you'd run into Hollis and could thank them for the hospitality.  
You could hear voices in the next room, you were anxious but you really did want to get home so you opened the door and peeked out.  
You saw a few Hornets playing a card game, they were all laughing and having what seemed to be an absolutely grand time.  
You weren't too sure how to butt in but it seemed you didn't have too, one of the Hornets noticed you and grinned, "Are you looking for Hollis?" He asked across the room.  
You nodded with an anxious smile.  
"I'll go grab them!" He said as he set his cards down and left the room.  
You stayed where you were, unsure what to do.  
"Hey! Come over here, you can take over for Keith while he finds Hollis!" Said one of the Hornets, a girl in her 20s.  
You went over and sat down in the empty space and picked up the cards.  
"I'm Pigeon! You must be the person who saw the abomination, what's your name?"  
"Oh, it's (y/n), good to meet you Pigeon."  
You smiled at her.  
"It's Go Fish. You ever played?" She asked gesturing to the cards.  
"When I was younger, I should be alright!" You assured her as the game continued.  
You and the small group of hornets played a few rounds of go fish before Keith returned with Hollis who smiled warmly when they saw you.  
"Good to see you're up (y/n), you ready to leave?" Hollis asked as they sat down beside you, one leg leaning on the table.  
You nodded and set your cards down.  
"I'll catch you later (y/n)!" Said Pigeon as Hollis helped you up, "and you can prove to me that you're good at Go Fish" you grinned.  
"Stay safe out there!" Said Keith as you exited the room.  
You and Hollis walked towards the front entrance quietly, it was a comfortable silence, they seemed to be in good spirits.  
"Somethin' good happen Hollis?" You pried,  
They shook their head, "nah, it's just nice to enjoy the day, especially after a scare like last night." They said while looking at you.  
"I suppose you're right" you said while Hollis held the door open for you.  
"I'll keep that in mind.. and again, thank you for saving me last night. You've got no idea how grateful I am." You said seriously as Hollis lead you to their motorbike.  
"It's not a problem at all, you're welcome any time." They smiled softly and handed you their helmet.  
With some confusion you managed to get the helmet on properly, you were trying not to let on but you were a bit anxious about being on the back of a bike, and especially with someone so nice to look at.  
"So where am I taking you on this fine morning?" They asked while getting on the bike.  
"Eastwood RV Park, it's on Riverside."  
You explained while anxiously stretching one leg over the bike.  
"I know the one." Said Hollis as they half turned around to face you.  
"Now hold on real tight, I don't want you fallin off or anything like that." They said with a wink and turned back forward.  
You gripped onto them as they started up the bike, and away the two of you went to the RV Park.  
It was the first time you rode on the back of Hollis' motorbike but it definitely wouldn't be the last time.


	4. Hollis/Sylph!Reader

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another Hollis chapter!!? But this time you’re a Mothman? That’s crazy dude goodluck with that one.

Published 8 DEC 19

For the sake of convenience the readers sylph form is similar to Indrid's

Things had been tense at the Hornets Nest.  
After the incident with the abomination everyone was scared, upset, angry, or all three. You were miserable, you knew things were only going to get worse from here.  
You were close enough to Hollis to know they were pissed off but not close enough to know exactly what they were planning to do.  
You were from originally from Sylvaine but now lived in Amnesty Lodge, obviously this was not a known fact by any of the Hornets,  
so when you found out they'd confronted the pine guard about what exactly attacked the Hornet's Nest you were livid.  
Apparently Keith had some involvement in an earlier hunt and told Hollis all about it.   
When Hollis and Keith came back to the Hornet's Nest that night they both looked pretty pissed off so you went to see what had happened.

"Hey, how'd it go?" You asked quietly as you approached the pair, Hollis raised their arms up and dropped them "fucking great" they seethed and stormed off.  
"Not great then?" You asked Keith.  
He shook his head, he explained that Hollis was planning to rally the Hornet's and go after the monster, not great at all.

The evening quieted down a bit and eventually there were only a few Hornet's left in the nest, you were sitting on a couch in the corner, dragging it out as long as possible before you had to go back to the lodge, you knew once you got there Mama would have a stern talking to you about being a part of the Hornet's and blah blah blah.  
You knew she didn't love the idea of you being a hornet but after today you were sure she'd ask you to quit.  
Frankly you didn't want to go back to the lodge, plus with an abomination on the loose who's to say it wouldn't get you on your way home.  
You rested your head on the arm of the couch and closed your eyes for a moment, you didn't want to quit the Hornet's, not now, but if you didn't there was also a chance you'd have to go against the pine guard, it was too difficult.

"Hey, you're still here?"   
You opened your eyes and lifted your head up to see Hollis, considerably less angry than they were before. "Sorry, it's probably late I'll go now" You fretted. "No! you're fine" Hollis assured you as they sat down on the couch beside you.  
There was a moments silence,  
"You feeling better?" You asked with a worried smile, they shook their head,  
"If I'm being honest, not really" you frowned at their response.  
"Apparently they've got some gateway that these monsters are coming out of but they're trying to keep it safe? It doesn't make sense to my why they wouldn't just knock it down or something!" They explained while you listened intently. "If there's another world full of monsters who're coming in here and killing our people why are they trying to protect them?" They said, clearly riling themself back up again.  
You were uncomfortable but understood Hollis' point of view.  
"Maybe they're not all bad." You said quietly, Hollis didn't respond, you gently took hold of Hollis' hand, "you don't know that there aren't good people on the other side of that gateway." You said, quickly regretting your word choice.  
"They're monsters (y/n)! I don't understand what you're not picking up? I thought you'd be with me on this one!" Hollis said, frustration now aimed at you.  
"You're right, you don't understand.." you said quietly.  
"I know you're upset Hollis but this is bigger than you, if you act upon first impressions you're going to get yourself hurt and I don't want to see that"  
You said as you sat up and let go on their hand, they were quiet, "please just take care of yourself Hollis, it's late and if I don't get home soon people might start worrying." You said standing up.  
"I'll see you tomorrow?" You questioned, Hollis only nodded, still deep in thought.  
You exited through the back door and began the walk back to Amnesty Lodge, it was cold and you were concerned about the abomination, it might just be safer to take off your bracelet and fly home? You'd get back a lot faster and the abomination wouldn't be able to ambush you that way.  
Deciding that was the way to go you slipped off your bracelet and flapped away into the night.

That was the last conversation you had with Hollis before you quit the Hornets.

After you'd gotten home that night Mama explained what was going on and ultimately your choice was made for you.  
You told Keith you were quitting and he seemed upset but also seemed to understand.  
You didn't have the guts to tell Hollis, you were sure they'd be upset with you so you left that up to Keith.  
The next night you arrived late to the Hornets Nest to hand in your jacket, hoping to avoid everyone on the way, luckily you slipped in unnoticed but leaving wasn't so easy, the moment you stepped out the door Hollis appeared out of nowhere, scaring the shit out of you.  
"Fuck me Hollis what're you doing out here in the dark!?" You exclaimed as you caught your breath.  
"taking a beat" they simply replied as they stared you down,  
"Look I-"  
"Keith already told me, (y/n)" Hollis said, clearly irritated.  
"When were you gonna let me know? Or were you just gonna sneak off into the night and never come back?" They asked, hitting the nail on the head.  
"I'm sorry, it wasn't my idea." You grimaced as you avoided eye contact.  
"Oh really?" Hollis pressed, clearly not convinced, "No matter how I put this I know you're gonna be upset with me but, the moment you spoke to the Pine Guard my choice was made for me." You said, stoney faced.  
Hollis blinked a few times,  
"You're... on their side?" They asked, raising their voice. "After everything we've been through you just going to hand in your jacket and skip over to the enemy?!" They continued to shout.  
"Hollis, that's not it." You said quietly,  
"Then what is it (y/n), I'm just dying to know" They sneered at you.

"If.. okay, come for a walk with me, I don't want anyone to hear what I'm about to tell you" You said seriously as you grabbed their hand.  
They snatched it back but followed along without saying anything.  
The two of you walked in silence away from the Hornets Nest.  
Once far enough away you stopped and faced them, "Hollis, we've been friends for god knows how long now, you know me. I don't want this to change that. Please."  
You said seriously, they only nodded and looked uncomfortable.

"I-" before you could finish what you were about to say a loud crunching sound startled the both of you.  
You turned to see what was definitely the abomination. Hollis grabbed your hand.  
"(Y/n) we gotta go!" They shouted.   
"We aren't gonna make it!" You shouted back.  
There was only one thing you could think of as the abomination got closer.  
You pulled your bracelet off as fast as you could, the illusion broke and suddenly you were yourself again.  
Before anyone could say anything you scooped up Hollis, took a running jump, and flapped your wings as fast as you could.  
You gained enough distance from the ground that the abomination was no longer a threat to you.  
You didn't want to land near the Hornets Nest looking like this so you decided the next best place was Amnesty Lodge.  
Hollis was clearly shell shocked from what just happened but stayed oddly calm and didn't try to struggle.  
The two of you shared a silent and extremely awkward flight to the lodge, you were kicking yourself for not considering the abomination before you dragged Hollis out into the forest.  
"I'm sorry!" You shouted over the wind, Hollis didn't respond and you honestly weren't sure if it was because they didn't hear you or because they didn't know how to.

You landed outside Amnesty Lodge with haste, instantly setting Hollis down and scrambling to find your bracelet so you could look normal in front of them.  
"What the fuck!?" Hollis shouted as you located your bracelet and slipped it back on.  
"I can't believe you didn't tell me!" Hollis yelled and raised their arms in the air,  
"I was scared!" You shouted back,  
"Do you think I didn't want to tell you? I hate feeling like I'm lying to everyone, you're like family to me and I just..."  
You stopped yourself,  
"You just what?" Spat Hollis, clearly not in the mood,  
"I was so scared of what you'd think!" You said glaring at Hollis.  
"Look how you reacted about the portal! Even if I had of told you before, that abomination coming in a turning the nest to hell would've changed everything between us. You wouldn't trust me anymore."  
You stated, crossing your arms and looking to the side.  
Before Hollis would respond the front door to the lodge opened and very sleepy Jake and Dani peeked out.  
"(Y/n)? Everything okay?" Dani asked, looking at the two of you with sleepy eyes.  
"Jake fucking Coolice?" Hollis questioned, clearly having more surprises than they could handle in one night.  
Jake just nodded, to tired to come up with anything good to say,  
"Mama's been wanting you back so you'd better let her know you got home safe" Dani continued.  
You looked over to Hollis, you were sure they wouldn't let you fly them back and there was no other way to get them home safely.  
"Thanks Dani, I'll be inside in a minute." You smiled and she nodded, ushering Jake back inside.  
"Hollis, there's a spare room at the lodge if you want to stay the night, I know you probably don't want to see any more of me but there's no safe way of getting you back home tonight..."  
Hollis sighed and pinched the bridge of their nose, "if that's not gonna upset anyone." They said.  
"Nobody has to know" you grinned.

The two of your crept through the lodge towards the spare room, you were hoping to get in and out without Mama seeing Hollis in the lodge, after they stirred shit up today you were sure nobody wanted to see a hornet right now.  
You held their hand and led them through the hallways, Mama would probably be in her office or out in the main room so there was a good chance you would get Hollis to their room without running into her.  
"It's just up ahead" you whispered to them as you rounded a corner, they only nodded in response.  
Once you got to the door you took the key out of your pocket and unlocked it, keeping as quiet as you could.  
Once open, the two of you slipped in and slowly closed the door, "Hey I've gotta go check in with mama but I'll come back with a change of clothes and some food for you!" You smiled gently, hoping that maybe they might be willing to listen to you.  
Hollis nodded, "cheers for that, (y/n)."

Once you left Hollis' room you found Mama in her office, she seemed pressed but relieved that you'd handed in your jacket and cut ties with the Hornets.  
Once she was done talking to you you swung by the kitchen to see Barclay, he definitely wouldn't be down with the 'Hollis secretly spends the night in the lodge' scheme so you'd have to think of a way to get two plates of food.  
"Hello Barclay, you still serving dinner?" You greeted him with a smile.  
"Sure am, you're back late, have you seen Mama yet? She was after you." He asked as he took out a plate.  
"Done and done, can I grab two plates? Jake asked me to get his for him." You tried.  
Barclay paused, "Jake's already had food.. are you sure?" Shit.  
"Yeah I saw him on my way in and he's still hungry, you know Jake." You joked.  
Barclay shrugged, "yeah sure thing" he took out a second plate and dished them both up.  
He handed them to you, "tell Coolice if this is gonna become a regular thing he can help me make dinner." Barclay said, "will do, thank you Barclay, I'll be back with the dishes later!"  
And with that you left the kitchen and made a b line to Jake's room to grab some spare clothes, you could imagine Hollis probably wouldn't vibe with your wardrobe.  
"Jake, are you still awake?" You asked as you knocked on the door. You heard some shuffling and then a very sleepy Jake Coolice opened the door.  
"What's up?" He asked with a smile.  
"I'm real sorry but is there any chance I could borrow a spare pare of pyjamas?" You asked with a sheepish grin.  
"What..?" Jake asked, thinking he might've misheard you.  
"I uh.. well.. would really-"  
"Did you take Hollis home?" Jake asked, eyeing the two plates of food you had.  
"Well.. no, not exactly"  
Jake grinned, "sure, give me a moment."  
You were hoping Jake would have something warm, he was accustomed to not getting cold which made his wardrobe not suited to someone who wasn't a seal.  
Jake re appeared in the doorway with a folded up t shirt and fluffy pyjama pants.  
"Thank you Jake, I owe you one!" You said as you tucked the clothes under your arm.  
"No problem (y/n), just make sure he's out before Mama sees him tomorrow" Jake said with a worried smile.  
Things were still tense between Jake and Hollis and especially now with the abomination.  
You nodded, "I'll see you tomorrow Jake, goodnight"  
You left down the hallway to Hollis' room.  
It was quite a balancing act with the two plates and a bundle of clothes but you managed it just fine.  
Once in front of the door you tapped on it with your foot, "Hollis, open up!" You called quietly.  
Hollis opened the door for you and you put the plates down on the desk.  
"How'd you manage to get two plates?" Hollis asked, "that's my secret" you winked at them.  
"I got these from Jake, I hope they're alright." You said as you handed the clothes to Hollis.  
Hollis was quiet as the two of you sat on the bed, plates in lap.  
"I'm sorry that I didn't tell you" you said, this whole situation was bittersweet. You were relieved that Hollis finally knew but at the same time it would change everything.  
"I get it (y/n) but I can't pretend I'm not hurt." They replied while looking away from you.  
"That's fair" you sighed.  
The two of you were thrown back into silence.  
At least Hollis wasn't yelling at you or anything, they seemed to be taking it better than you'd assumed they would.  
"Things aren't going to go back to normal, I know that but please, please, don't hold this against me." You said quietly.  
"Hey! No, c'mon you know I don't!" Hollis said suddenly looking up at you.  
They wrapped their arm around your shoulder, "just give me some time to adjust okay? It's not every day you find out your favourite person has wings." Hollis tried lightening the mood.  
You chuckled, "yeah I guess you're right." You leaned into them.  
It would take time but things were going to go back to normal between the two of you eventually.


	5. Indrid Cold/Reader

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More Indrid because my favouritism knows no limits.  
> This time you get abducted by the Mothman.

Published 23 Jan 20

You were terrified,  
You'd gone out after dark to get cereal for the next morning. You got to Leo's store and retrieved your cereal without any hiccups but it was getting home that was the issue.  
You had heard a scuffle in the trees and with little thought decided it was some form of cat or possum, and posed little to no threat, you definitely weren't prepared for a giant imposing figure to spring from the tree line in your direction. No, you most certainly didn't see that coming.  
Whatever it was let out a blood curdling roar and charged towards you.  
As a result you screamed and started running.  
Whatever it was was hot on your heels, you couldn't possibly rationalise this in any way as you bolted as fast as you could.  
You began crying as the thing was getting closer and closer to you.  
And suddenly you were flying.  
Just like that, something had plucked you off the ground and was now soaring through the air with you in its talons. Your sobs however did not subside as you were taken in quite the opposite direction you had intended to be going. Whatever had you clearly had no intent of letting you go, perhaps it was some type of giant bird that was going to take you to it's nest and eat you for dinner? Or maybe it was another one of those monsters you'd just encountered and it was going to rip you to shreds in an instant.  
Whatever it was it didn't sound like there was a nice outcome for you, which in turn resulted in you crying harder as you clung to your cereal box. Regardless of the severity of the situation you weren't going to be caught without your cereal that you'd come all this way to get, the very reason you were now being whisked away towards what looked like Eastwood RV Park?  
Your apartment block was closer to topside so you'd never needed to ventured over Greenbrier River before, maybe you might've had a decent chance to escape whatever this thing was once it dropped you down if you knew the area but this side of the river was a mystery to you.  
You didn't have much longer to formulate an escape plan because you were descending to the RV park quite quickly, you wondered what the deal was with this place?  
Whatever it was that had you in its grasp lowered you down and then dropped you, you landed in an ungracious heap, crushing your cereal box and unfortunately hurting your ankle. You cried out in pain as you tried to get up and run, evidently collapsing back on the ground. The thing that was carrying you landed behind you and watched you writhe momentarily, you looked up at it through glassy eyes and began scrambling backwards.  
Upon seeing this it fumbled around for a moment and produced a pair of red glasses?  
You watched as it put them on and in an instant the monster in front of you was gone and replacing it was a strange looking man.  
"What in the hell?" You spoke under your breath, still somewhat trying to get away from him. He quickly ran over to you and put his hands on your shoulders, stopping you from moving away. "Hey hey hey, I'm sorry for scaring you, I'm not going to hurt you." He said in an oddly soothing voice. You sniffled and stopped your sad attempt at struggling.  
"Let me help you inside and I'll get some ice your your ankle, I'm sorry for dropping you" He said as he put his arm under your shoulder.  
"Please don't eat me" you managed to sob out. His eyes widened, "oh my goodness of course not, (y/n) I really didn't mean to make such a bad first impression but you were in serious danger and I needed to get you somewhere safe." He explained as he helped you up. "How did you know my name?" You asked as the two of you limped to a Winnebago. "Let's just get inside and get your comfy, alright? I'll tell you all you want to know after." You nodded, having no other choice but to follow the strange but alluring man into the Winnebago.  
He helped you up the stairs and sat you down on a small couch, you looked around and noted that it was in fact too hot and smelt like eggnog in here. There was garbage and crumpled up paper all over the place and not to mention the plethora of dirty mugs on every surface. This man seemed to live like an animal.  
"You're right it's a bit messy in here, I apologise I should've seen this coming" He seemed a little flustered as he opened the small freezer door and revealed an ice pack, he wrapped it in a paper towel and handed it too you, too unsure of himself to put it directly on your ankle, he'd seen futures where he was too hasty or rough and ended up hurting or scaring you further.  
You smiled momentarily and held it to your throbbing ankle, "cheers." You said shakily.  
"So,," You began.  
"Who are you?" Both if you spoke at the same time, "oh?" You said, surprised.  
"I'm Indrid, I do apologise for not introducing myself earlier." He smiled at you, his mouth seemed to stretch just a little bit too far.  
"What are you?" You both said again.   
"Ah okay, this is, tedious, so how about I just tell you what you're going to ask me and that saves me talking over you?" The now named Indrid pitched, you nodded, oddly calm about the situation at hand.  
"I am, not of this world as I'm sure you've guessed. I have been granted with the knowledge of foresight and that is why I knew you were in danger. I had anticipated on meeting you but I did not realise that occasion would be tonight so once again I apologise for my poor first impression." He explained as he gestured with his hands.  
He paused and hummed quietly,  
"You want to know why I'm not longer a giant furry beast." He chuckles and you blush a little at your bad choice of words.  
"No no, you're quite right to ask! This form," and he gestures to himself, "isn't what I really look like, thanks to these," he points to the glasses you saw him put on earlier, "I'm able to disguise myself as one of you, it saves the pitchforks and torches and what have you." He said with a slight grimace.  
Then his face changes to a far away look as he stares into the middle distance.  
"You're wondering why I'm telling you this and why I didn't leave you to the abomination?" Not your choice of words but you assumed the monster you encountered earlier was also under the alias of 'the abomination'.  
He hums again.  
"It is, tricky to explain."  
He leans against the counter top.  
"You appeared on my radar around a month ago as a potential... ally, if you will." He explained with a wave of his hands.  
"And more recently the choices you've made have brought you closer and closer to joining the fray, might I put it." His face seemed to be a little embarrassed. "I knew I'd be meeting you rather soon but I apologise that I didn't see you being put in danger until the last moment." He laughed, "funnily enough this encounter did not go how I hoped our first meeting would. I'd hoped to have gained your trust well before you saw me without my glasses" he chuckled. "It's certainly interesting when things don't go as I thought they would." You nodded, "I can see that being surprising" you tried to find something intelligent to say, he smiled.  
"I'm sorry I scared you, and I'm sorry I dropped you." He said scratching the back of his neck. You smiled and laughed, though it seemed a little sad, "no it's fine, I really honestly appreciate you saving me but... Indrid I thought I was going to die." You said seriously. "I thought I was going to die and I realised I am not ready, everything I thought was important really doesn't matter because when it boils down I could've been dead tonight, right?" You asked, he didn't respond. "You've got sight or whatever, could I have died tonight?" You asked, seriously. He nodded with unease, various images of you smashed onto the pavement or torn to ribbons by the abomination flashed through his mind. He shuttered. "I'm not ready for that." You reinstated. "So I honest to god am grateful you scooped me up but I need a beat to push that one back into the archives." You said with a half laugh. He nodded, "I know" he said and he turned back to the fridge, "you'll accept eggnog if you see me take out a fresh mug, right?" He asks as he grabs a carton of nog. "That sounds right to me." You said, still unsettled by the ease of this scenario. He'd mentioned that you've been on his radar for a little while so he's probably already gotten used to the idea of you being around? Maybe he's just acting friendly so you'd feel less uncomfortable in the situation? Who's to say. You were, oddly enough, somewhat enjoying the moment. Odd circumstances for sure but something about Indrid's voice and his way with words was endearing. You hoped his was as sincere as he seemed, there weren't enough good people in the world these days.  
You watched him gently hum as he fiddled around by the counter, taking out two fresh mugs and filling them with eggnog. You smiled, "so are you like a mothman or somethin'?" The two of you said in unison. He chuckled as he turned and walked back towards you with the two mugs.  
"That is the word you humans seem to have fallen attached to for me." He said as he set your mug down in front of you.  
"But that's not entirely it, perhaps I'll explain it to you another time." He said with a grin as he raised his mug to his lips.  
You nodded, he'd planned on seeing you again it seemed. That's a start.


	6. Duck Newton/Sylph!Reader

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mr Newton you’re in the hot springs,,, and you don’t recognise me in my Sylph form,,, woah!

Published 7 FEB 2020

Request: "Could you possibly do a Duck Newton X reader where the reader is a Sylph and duck sees their sylvan form for the first time but reader is insecure and just 🥺🥺🥺 fluff"   
(Should also note they asked for the readers Sylph form to be like a wendigo)

You'll have to forgive me as I'm not well acquainted with Duck's mannerisms and have never written for him before, I hope this is alright:)!

It was no secret that you were highly fond of Duck, in fact I'm sure everyone could tell.  
If Duck knew, he hadn't let on but that only furthered your theory that maybe he just wasn't interested.  
Which was fine, really. Can't force someone to like you and you respected Duck enough not to push it and make him uncomfortable.  
Although you'd thought about it a few times, you also respected Duck enough not to talk to Indrid and ask if he saw any possible futures with you and Duck. (You were also nervous that Indrid wouldn't see any at all and perhaps that was the true reason you hadn't asked).  
Currently you and your friends from the lodge were all inside having dinner, chatting happily amongst yourselves. This afternoon Barclay had prepared a cauliflower and cheese pie with a side of salad, which was absolutely delicious! You had to slow down as to not inhale the entire meal. Everyone else seemed to be enjoying it just as much.  
The talk was, after dinner Some of the folks from the lodge were all going to take a dip in the hot springs. It'd been a long week and that sounded lovely so you'd asked if you could tag along, in which Dani said of course.  
You were looking forward to a nice hot springs sesh, you'd be fretting about Duck so much you thought the water might do you a world of good.  
After a short while, the residents of the lodge finished their dinner and one by one left to continue with what they were doing.  
"Thank you for dinner Barclay, it was reeeaalllyyyy good!" You said as he collected your plate, "not a problem, I'm glad you liked it so much." He said with a smile as he continued around the table.  
Various 'thank you's echoed around the room until Barclay retired to the kitchen with a stack of plates, leaving only a few people left at the table. "So shall we get our hot springs on?" Dani asked excitedly with a big grin.  
"You know it!" Said Jake as he stood up and pushed his chair in. You followed suit and quickly made your way to your room to get appropriate clothing.  
You'd assumed the younger Sylphs had already thought ahead because they all headed for the back door of the lodge.  
You made it to your room and after digging around for a moment you found your 'hot springs' clothes and quickly changed into them, you didn't care to miss out on the fun.  
With that you took off out of your room and towards the back door, trying not to bump into anyone on the way.  
By the time you'd made it outside there were already quite a few people in the springs, which was fine space wise because it was rather large. You tiptoed down around the rocks and once you were safely at the edge you slipped into to warm water. It was always better than you remembered it being, thank goodness.  
The water was lovely and warm and although you were far used to, and preferred the cold weather, you couldn't deny this was extremely good.  
Looking around at the faces of your friends you noticed two things; they were all happy and relaxed, and they they were all out of their disguises. Well why not.  
It didn't take very long for you to decide that would be far more pleasant.  
You unclasped your locket at set it on a nearby rock, it was a far nicer hot springs experience to be out of your disguise.  
Your Sylph form and your human form were vastly different, it didn't bother you much at all but you did keep in mind that humans were fragile and you'd had more than a few unpleasant experiences with humans seeing you out of your disguise, and now that you had a handful of very dear human friends you just tended to keep your locket on most of the time so you never had to have any awkward encounters or god forbid any ruined relationships.  
Aubrey was the only person out of your new friends who'd seen your Sylph form and that was purely because her and Dani were attached at the hip so Aubrey usually ended up in the hot springs with everyone, besides, she was kind and magical and barely batted an eyelid at how you looked. She often surprised you with how wise she was for such a young girl.  
But right now the only human anywhere near here was Mama, who was sitting in a chair by the back door, reading some dinky conspiracy magazine. She said she only read them because she liked to keep her nose to the grind stone when it came to being one step ahead of the bombom's, but you were fairly sure she thoroughly enjoyed the lighthearted hoaxes that they contained.  
You were shaken from your thoughts when Dani started talking, "I phoned Aubrey earlier and asked if she wanted to dip with us so she should be here any minute now." She explained with a smile, as you'd said earlier Aubrey was here so often nobody was uncomfortable around her. You zoned back out again and closed your eyes. It was extremely difficult to explain just how relaxing the springs where. You can't help but feel lucky you and your friends have such a special little place to wind down. Your eyes were still closed but you heard the back door to the lodge slide open followed by Aubrey's voice, "hi everybody!" She greeted, you opened your eyes to wave at her when you noticed she wasn't by herself.  
"I brought Duck with me, hope that's alright" she smiled.  
Oh no.  
No no no no no no no!  
Duck had never seen you before without your disguise on what if he thought you were horrible? Or he didn't want to be your friend anymore? What if you were scary to him?  
All these thoughts rushed through your head as you watch Duck and Aubrey get into the springs, Aubrey beside Dani and Duck directly opposite you.  
Maybe if you stayed quiet he wouldn't notice you? Yes surely that would work, there were enough other people here that if you just stayed out of it he was sure not to notice you.  
Aubrey, Dani, and Jake seemed to be playing some sort of splashing around game while Duck was talking to Barclay. You watched Duck to see he If was paying any mind to you, and for a moment you thought you'd gotten away with it when suddenly he glanced directly at you, he quickly looked away again once the two of you made eye contact.  
The game Dani, Aubrey, and Jake were playing continued and so did whatever glancing back and forth game Duck seemed to be playing with you. He wasn't addressing you though and that meant only one thing. He didn't want to talk to you. He didn't like you anymore.   
This was bad. This was really bad.  
What were you going to do? What could you do? Duck Newton didn't want to be your friend anymore, surely?  
You were beginning to panic but then you got water splashed in your face, you rubbed your eyes as looked up to see a very embarrassed Jake Coolice. "I'm sorry (y/n) I didn't think that would go so far!" He apologised while Dani was cracking up with laugher.  
"Wait, (y/n)?" You heard Duck say quietly in shock. Time to go.  
"That's fine Jake, I was about to get out anyway. No hard feelings." You grinned at him and quickly stood up. You scrambled for your locket and clipped it back on in record time.  
"I'll catch y'all later" you said as you hauled ass out of the spring and back inside the lodge, trying to hide the panic in your voice.  
"Dry your feet before you go inside (y/n), I don't want y'all tracking mud through the lodge" Mama called out to you from behind her magazine before you ducked inside.  
"Sure thing Mama!" You yelled as you slid the door shut.  
Fuck.  
Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck!  
God damn it Duck! Why'd he have to come over at the worst time.  
You pressed the palms of your hands into your eyes in a sad attempt to stop any tears escaping, this was awful.  
You wandered over to the kitchen, you knew Barclay usually had sweets hidden away somewhere for special occasions and you were sure he either wouldn't notice, or wouldn't mind if you helped yourself.  
You pulled open the refrigerator door and scrounged around for anything good. You came up with vanilla yoghurt and a jello cup, you opted for the jello cup.  
Closing the door you made your way over to the cutlery drawer to get a spoon, you weren't going to slurp the jello down like a heathen.  
Once you got your spoon you decided to go back to your room, you didn't wanna be on the scene when everyone came back inside.  
Right before you left the kitchen you heard the back door slide open, already?  
You stayed perfectly still and hoped whoever it was wouldn't come in range of seeing you.  
But unfortunately all that followed was "(Y/n)? You around?" Duck Newton.  
Ah shit you shouldn't avoid him that's unfair.  
"Yeah, kitchen" You called back quietly.  
You turned back into the kitchen and made yourself look busy.  
You could hear Duck's footsteps pad through the lodge and stop at the entrance to the kitchen.  
"You kinda took off back there, everything alright?" He said, clearly unsure how to approach it. So he did care?  
No matter how much you wanted to wave him off that was just unfair, he deserved to know, on the off chance he didn't want to terminate your friendship.  
"Gonna be honest Duck, not really vibing with it today." You sighed turning around to face him.  
He was leaned to one side of the door frame, one leg crossed over the other, his thumbs were twiddling around each other.  
"Don't get me wrong, it's really nice to see you but... shit Duck, didn't really want you to see... me." You forced out, trying to put it in a way that didn't make him feel bad.  
He looked like a lightbulb went off in his head, his eyebrows raised and he let out a quiet "oh."  
You rubbed the back of your neck.  
"I left because I was scared you wouldn't want to be friends anymore." You said, trying not to sound so vulnerable. He was quiet as he made his way over to you.  
"(Y/n), c'mon. You know that I'm not gonna hate you because of how you look." He said softly as he took both of your hands.  
You blushed, he was so kind, you must've seemed like an idiot.  
"I just, I know I'm not as nice to look at as some of the other sylphs and I've had relationships in the past that didn't work out because of how I look, I just... you didn't even say hello to me when you arrived, I was so scared." You laughed dryly as you explained your thought process to Duck, he nodded along with you, then he laughed a bit.  
"I just didn't recognise you, out of your disguise, I was trying to figure out who it was." He said with a smile as he rubbed his thumbs over the backs of your hands. That definitely explained why he was looking at you oddly.  
"(Y/n), I know you're uncomfortable but I can assure you I wouldn't let something like that effect anything, okay? You don't have to be out of your disguise around me if you don't want to but please remember you're perfect to me either way." He smiled at you, an unusual moment where he wasn't awkward or unsure of himself, he seemed to wholeheartedly believe in what he was saying.  
You'd seen Duck lie before and it's the opposite experience to what you just saw.  
"Stop trying to make me cry!" You laughed as a heavy blush spread across your face.  
"I'm just letting you know, someone needs to remind you how wonderful you are!" He was really pushing at it. Your tummy was fluttering around like crazy, surely he had to know that. This is a little beyond just being friends with someone isn't it? You let go of his hands and wrapped your arms around him, Duck wasn't exactly built like a brick shit house but he was comfortable and friend shaped and right now, when all that mattered was Duck's kindness and the absence of your anxieties, it was perfect. It was a perfect moment. Duck returned the favour and the two of you stayed standing it the middle of the kitchen like that for a longer time than you'd care to admit.  
"Thank you Duck" you said quietly.  
"What for?" He asked in an equally as soft voice. "For letting me get to know you." You said as you unwrapped yourself from around him. "Y'know I could say the same to you." He grinned at you.  
And it was perfect.  
He was perfect.


	7. Indrid Cold/Reader

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oh no what due to forces out of our control we had to cuddle for warmth,,, couldn’t be me.

Published 14 Feb 2020  
Happy Valentine's Day! This was a rush job because I really wanted to post something for the holiday, I hope you enjoy it!  
Remember requests are open so drop me a line if you'd like a certain character or prompt!

You were making your way to Eastwood RV Park to see your dear friend Indrid. You'd arranged to come and visit him and just sort of hang out, you hadn't had much time to see him in the past weeks and you really felt it, as much as you weren't quick to admit it, Indrid was very special to you and you'd missed him greatly.   
Your musical instrument of choice was in its case and hanging from your back, it bounced back and forth as you trudged through the uncomfortably wet snow towards Indrid's Winnebago.  
Before you could even get to the door it was already open and peeking out was a smiling face you'd come to adore, "hello (y/n), how was your walk?" He asked you as he stood aside and let you into the muggy van. "It was chilly, they said in the paper the weather's going to get worse later today but I think I got the best of it" you explained as you pulled off your boots, you're sure he already knew what the weather was going to be like but he didn't let on. Indrid went over to the fridge and took out a carton of nog, "would you like some?" He asked you as he took down two mugs. "I'm sure you already know the answer" you grinned at him through a few layers of scarfs. "Yes you're correct, but I also know you don't like it when I assume too much about you." He mused back. While he was busying himself with that you set down your instrument and took off your coat, scarfs, and mittens. Indrid's place was cozy but you were prone to overheating very quickly, though you clearly weren't too concerned as you padded over to the couch and wrapped yourself up in a blanket. You smiled up at Indrid as he set the nog down on the little coffee table in front of you, he returned your smile with just as much warmth, causing a blush to rise to your cheeks.  
"What've you been up to this morning 'drid?" You asked him as he sat beside you on the couch with his own glass of nog held tightly in his hands. "I was mainly just reading and fluffing around, I found a very interesting book on earths insects and I must say I've been quite wrapped up in it." He told you as you lifted the blanket over his legs. "Now, I've avoided looking too far into today's future as I'd like to at least try to enjoy it in real time, so what do you say we do first?" Indrid asked while he shuffled his legs around so he was sitting more comfortably.  
"Good question, I didn't think too far ahead I was mainly just excited to see you if I'm being honest." You laughed, reaching for your nog. "Well in that case I suppose we'd better figure it out" he smiled fondly at you for a moment before leaning over to a nearby chest of drawers. He pulled one of them open and fished around for a moment before coming up with a pack of cards.  
"You enjoy card games don't you?" He asked, taking them out of their case a shuffled them with ease.  
"That I do, I'm surprised you remembered!" You said, trying to remember when you'd last told him that. "I don't forget a lot of things." He offered a simple explanation.  
After a moment of trying to figure out how you were going to play cards side by side on a couch you finally came up with a compromise. You both were facing each other with your legs crossed, knee to knee, and you had a cushion sitting on top of your legs as a sort of makeshift table. You were still sharing a blanket and had very little intention to terminate that any time soon.   
Indrid began dealing you cards for what you had to assume was Go Fish since you were about to suggest it. "Go fish." You both said at the same time. "Oh! I assumed! I'm sorry I'm a little scattered I should've asked first" Indrid hurried to apologise, pushing up his glasses. "It's fine, you know anyway I enjoy Go Fish I'm sure anyone would've known I was gonna suggest it!" You said putting a hand over his. He nodded with a tight lip smile. You knew he tried so hard to behave as normally as he could around you, you'd told him before that he shouldn't change himself to please people but he seemed a bit insecure about it around you sometimes.   
After your third round of Go Fish the two of you were quickly getting a bit over it.   
"What next Indrid?" You asked as you stretched your arms up. He seemed to think for a moment, "hmm well let's see, you could play me a song, or I could read you facts about bugs, or-" he cut himself off and froze, staring off into the middle distance.  
"Hey, 'Drid?" You reached over to rest your hand on his shoulder, the contact suddenly bringing him back from wherever he was. "I should've been paying more attention." He suddenly shot off the couch and started fluffing around the room, grabbing as many blankets as he could get his hands on. You only sat silently and watched. "As I said earlier I was trying my best not to look into today because I wanted to enjoy your company to the fullest but in doing so I've made a critical error." He tossed the blankets over to you and began cranking up the space heaters to their highest settings. "Please warm up those blankets" was all he said as he disappeared into his bedroom. You were confused but you began wrapping yourself around the pile of blankets. What was wrong?   
Indrid re appeared with a few of those microwaveable heat packs and half hazardly stuffed them into the microwave.  
"What's happening?" You both said at the same time, "shit, sorry, talking over you, look at me go today." He scolded himself as he impatiently watched the heat packs spin around in the microwave, tapping his foot anxiously. "There's going to be a power outage in three minutes due to the storm and I'll be left without my heaters. The temperature drops in here very quickly, I usually see situations like this long enough beforehand to get myself to the lodge but today I'm not so fortunate." He explained quickly as he looked around the room for anything else that would be necessary.  
"Oh.." was all you could get out. "You're ectothermic." You remembered. "Unfortunately that is indeed the case." Said Indrid. The microwave beeped and he snatched the heat packs out then quickly hurried over to the couch. He dropped down onto it and you watched as he began wrapping the blankets around himself, he had one of the heat packs by his feet and the other in his lap for his hands. "Hey do you think-" you stopped as the Winnebago went pitch black, the red from the space heaters slowly fading out. You heard Indrid suck in a breath as the room stilled. "Well, so much for playing you music, I can't really see my hands in front of my face." You attempted to lighten the mood. You noticed Indrid was shivering, it felt too soon for him to be getting cold, was he scared? "Hey, are you alright?" You asked softly. "I don't like being cold, its unpleasant is all." He said but the tremble in his voice gave him away, he was scared to freeze. Then an idea hit you. You quickly shifted over and started unwrapping Indrid from his cocoon. "No? Stop. What're you doing?" He asked loudly and clutched onto the blankets, making them difficult to get off him. "Indrid please trust me I have an idea." You said softly, his grip loosened and he let you unwrap him, watching the way your fingers curled around each blanket as you pulled them away. Once you'd finally gotten to the bottom of the cocoon you scooted right up next to him and began wrapping the blankets around the both of you. Indrid went completely stiff and didn't say anything. "I'm going to keep you warm until the power comes back." You said quietly and continued to gather the blankets in a nest around the two of you. "You don't mind?" Indrid asked hesitantly. "Of course not, there's no sense in you being cold and upset while I radiate heat on the other side of the couch." You said gently as you finished with the blankets. "I don't want you to be uncomfortable." He said as he pushed up his glasses. "Of course I'm not, I hope you're not either." You said genuinely as you sat back. He didn't reply but you took that as a positive sign. The two of you were quiet but you could feel Indrid slowly lean further into you. "You're very warm" was all he said. "C'mon" you whispered as you wrapped your arms and legs around him, "let's keep you warm" you smiled into his shoulder as he finally gave in and wrapped his arms around you.   
The way the two of you were on the couch, silent, holding each other tightly, legs tangled with each other, could almost be considered cuddling, and you're sure you would've been much more nervous and flustered about it if Indrid wasn't going to freeze to death without you. But it was nice, his hair tickling the side of your face. The constant drum of his heartbeat. The way he held you against him like you were the most important thing in the world. It was nice. "Thank you" He said so softly you might've missed it. You gave him a squeeze in return and he replicated it. Your heart fluttered for a moment, surely he knew. You were sure every time you'd stayed awake thinking that maybe tomorrow you'd tell him but then chickened out when the moment came had still opened up a new future he would've seen where you did tell him. He had to know by now.  
"Hey Indrid?" You whispered, no response. Oh! Had he fallen asleep? "Indrid?" You tried again. Still nothing. You listened to his soft breathing, no longer erratic and scared, he was definitely asleep. Well, it can just wait until you both wake up. And with that thought, you snuggled your face into his neck and closed your eyes, letting the tender moment lull you to sleep.


	8. Jake Coolice/Sylph!Reader

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mr Coolice I care for you.

Published 1 March 2020  
I realised while reading this over maybe not everyone is lactose intolerant and y'all probably put milk in your hot chocolate so sorry in advance for the watery mess I'm about to feed the reader.

To say you were 'going through it' was an understatement. Things had been tricky as of late and eventually it all started to add up, which has currently resulted in one very bad sleepless night. As much as you did enjoy the comforts of your own room at the lodge, you also enjoyed not feeling caged in when you were upset so after many hours of tossing and turning you finally decided to get up and busy yourself with something.  
You threw back your covers with a force you could only attribute to restlessness, scrounged around under your bed and dug out your slippers. Slipping your feet into them you turned your bedside lamp on and stood up, making your way clumsily over to the door of your room. The lodge was gloomy but not completely dark. Little plug in night lights littered the hallway, Mama had bought them forever ago in case anyone who didn't have 'night eyes' needed to get up for some water or whatever. Although you were sure you could get to the main sitting area with muscle memory alone, you were glad you didn't have to test the theory. Your room was on the second floor of the lodge so before getting to where you wanted to go you had to get down the stairs first, which is typically something you did with zero concern but currently, it was dark and you were already a little bit shaky, so you gave caution were caution was due and clung onto the banister for what one could only describe as 'dear life'.  
It took longer than probably was necessary to get to the ground floor but once you'd made your way down, you continued down the next hallway and to the lobby. On your way down you'd decided your task for this evening was to make a warm mug of something to drink that preferably wasn't coffee.   
Your slippers padded down the hallways quietly, passing by many closed doors, each containing a sleeping friend on the other side. You wondered if anyone else was awake, there was a possibility but it would be difficult to find them without waking up everyone on accident, that was if there even was someone awake. You finally made it to the sitting area and went straight to the kitchen, you knew Barclay wouldn't be too bothered if you stole hot chocolate powder because you were sad and wanting a warm drink, in fact you were sure Barclay would put everything on hold to bring a sad person a warm drink. You flipped on the fancy new electric kettle and took out a clean mug, the mug had the phrase 'I saw Bigfoot at the Cryptonomica' on it and somebody had sharpied on underneath it 'I saw him at Amnesty Lodge too' which looked like it had tried to be scrubbed off at some point but the message still remained.  
You sifted through the cupboards until you finally found the hot chocolate powder, which was surprisingly light for how you remembered it being. Can't expect too much when you live with so many people. You scooped two heaped tea spoons of hot chocolate mix into your mug and reclined against the counter, waiting for the water to boil. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting...  
After what felt like far too long you heard the kettle click off, you poured the hot water into your mug and began stirring the powder through. It was late and your body was so tired, your wrist slowly made circular motions as you started down into the drink, watching it swirl and swirl. After an appropriate amount of stirring you retreated from the kitchen and nestled down onto one of the big soft chairs.  
The moment you set your drink down and relaxed into the chair the waterworks began. You weren't sure what was the specific issue right now but it's a lot easier to think straight after a good cry so you didn't bother trying to cram it down. It would probably be pretty tragic to see you crying quietly in the dark while everyone else was sleeping, well, maybe not everyone.  
Your chair was faced away from the hallway and towards the unlit fireplace that you'd considered starting up but ultimately decided against it. You took a shaky sip of your hot chocolate and let out some combination of a sigh and a sob, it sounded ugly and slightly too loud whatever it was. You set your mug back down and curled further into the chair, breath uneven and rapid. You heard a floorboard creek behind you, you peered back over the chair to see none other than a very tired Jake Coolice, squinting and looking around the room. You knew Jake's night eyes were significantly worse than yours so maybe if you stayed still enough he wouldn't notice you and go back to bed. Unfortunately he made direct eye contact, tired blue eyes meeting your puffy red ones. "Y/n? Are you okay, what happened?" He asked quietly, suddenly rushing over to you. Whatever solitary confinement you'd found yourself in was no longer present as you let out a sob. Jake quickly kneeled down in front of you. "Hey, no shhh, c'mon." He soothed while you covered your face with your hands. "Im- sorry Jake, please just- go back to bed" you managed through shaky breaths and hiccups. "Not until you're okay!" He said softly, running a hand over your shoulder. "Do you wanna talk about it or should we just be quiet for a while?" He asked, "quiet please." You replied leaning over to hug him. He hugged you back straight away and the two of you stayed like that for a short while, your sobs slowly becoming less violent.  
It was nice, you wished you didn't have to be crying for Jake to hold you but that's just life sometimes. "Thanks" you whispered softly, you heard him laugh quietly, "it's really no problem". He pulled back slowly, keeping both his hands on your arms, "I don't like seeing you sad and especially not when you're all alone in the dead of night you know." He said rubbing circles with his thumbs. You managed out a quiet "yeah" in response. Jake was just too kind. You're sure he'd do his for anyone. "Do you want to go to bed?" He asked quietly, you were sure you looked like shit and could probably do with some rest. "I probably should." You said thoughtfully. "Well dehydration isn't cool so I'll get you a glass of water first." Said Jake as he patted your shoulder and stood up. He was so kind, you knew that it came naturally to him but you couldn't help but feel special. Maybe you could try and shoot your shot soon? Not tonight but, soon maybe? Even if he's not interested you knew he'd let you down gently so that's... well that's something. It's so hard to tell with him. Jake came back into the room with said glass of water, he handed it to you and you thanked him quietly. It was weird being in the lodge when it's quiet, it almost gets a bit eerie but it's hard to feel put off when Jake is grinning at you and giving you a big thumbs up after you finished your water. "C'mon now, it's too late to be up, you need your rest. Once you wake up tomorrow we can talk about what's getting you down but for now I want you to sleep." Jake said as he helped you up, setting your empty glass on the coffee table beside your long forgotten hot chocolate. You only nodded as you followed him back to your room. Your eyes were still a little damp and you still felt pretty hopeless but it would be a lie to say Jake hadn't made you feel a lot better. And sleep sounded nice.   
The two of you made it up the stairs and to your door, Jake turned to face you, "are you gonna be alright on your own?" He asked softly, trying not to wake up anyone. You nodded "thanks Jake, you've been a real big help but you're right I'm super tired" you smiled softly at him, and he smiled fondly back. He pulled you into a hug and you happily complied, the two of you stayed in each other's arms for a moment longer and then pulled away. "Goodnight Jake, I'll see you in the morning. Thank you." You thanked him again, he grinned. "Anything for my favourite person!" He gave you a fist bump and just like that he turned around and padded back down the hall, waving at you as he turned the corner.  
You went back into your room and closed the door behind you.  
After some bumbling around your room you finally got into bed and switched off the lights.  
With the thought of whatever delicious breakfast Barclay was going to make and the promise of seeing Jake Coolice, tomorrow morning couldn't come soon enough.  
And with that thought you drifted off to sleep.


	9. Duck Newton/Reader

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Duck Newton in his late teens, what will he do?

Published 3 March 2020

Late teen duck for your soul!  
Sorry for so much talk about the band Grim Reaper, if I'm not completely daft they were popular when Duck was younger! But they are really good I encourage you to check them out!

Kepler was nice, chilly, but nice. You really enjoyed living here. Your family had moved here at the end of last summer and in the interim you'd found yourself a little group of friends that you'd spend your time with on the weekends, usually playing whatever game y'all could come up with at the old mall or getting high, or in most cases, both. But this very Friday night you'd found yourself down for the count with a rather nasty cold and had opted out of whatever hockey adventure your friends had planned to celebrate the end of the week. Your folks were out of town for whatever reason, anniversary maybe? Which is why it really felt like a wasted opportunity to be burdened with a cold.  
You were lying on your couch watching whatever garbage was on the telee at 9pm when your wall phone rung. Begrudgingly you made your way over to pick it up, wondering just who would be calling at this hour, part of your brain told you it was some stalker watching you through the curtains although you weren't sure how many of those you had in Kepler. "Hello?" You asked into the receiver. "Hello, (y/n)? It's Juno." You instantly forgot whatever horror movie rubbish was going through your head as you recognised your friends voice on the phone. "Well hey Juno, what do I owe the pleasure to?" You asked, still curious as to why she was calling you so late. "Haha funny story actually, you know how we're your favourite and best friends and you love us so much?" She said, clearly about to ask you for something you would most definitely say no to. "Juno I appreciate the theatrics but what's the deal?" You laughed into the phone. You could hear what you could only assume was Duck in the background talking to Juno about god knows what. "Shh Duck I'm on the phone. Can you come get Duck and take him back to your place? He's a bit too far gone to sneak back into his house and I don't want him out and about on the streets, you feel?" You sighed. Of course. "Fucking hell Juno, do y'all every actually think things through or do you just smoke a few and see where it gets you?" You were frustrated but made no mention of declining her request. You could hear Duck in the background protesting going back to your place. "Are y'all still at the mall?" You asked as you leaned over and grabbed your keys out of the dish. "Sure am, I'll wait around until you come get him, don't want him wandering off" Juno said far too cheerfully. "Yeah yeah yeah. Juno Divine you owe me big time, and Duck does too for that matter. Y'all are lucky I'm here to bail you out." You grumbled, hoping she caught wind of how pissed off you were. "Thanks (y/n) you're the best!" She chirped and the line went dead. Son of a bitch.  
You snatched your shoes from their usual home and tied them up as fast as you could. After double checking your keys you headed out the door and to your car. Of course you'd always come get your friends if they needed your help but you did wish they were a little more forward thinking, especially Duck. He meant a lot to you but you didn't want this to become a regular habit. You got into your car and started it up, you shuffled through your cassettes to find something Duck would enjoy. Oh, there's the Grim Reaper cassette Duck got you for your birthday. You pushed it into the tape player, pulled out of your driveway and headed out to the old mall. The drive wasn't too far and by the time you got there you could see two familiar shapes sitting on the curb outside. You wound down your window, "WAYNE!! GET ON IN WE DON'T HAVE ALL NIGHT!" You shouted at them. You probably could've gotten out to greet them but you wanted them to know how out of your way you went. You watched both of them stand up and move over to your car, Duck went around to the passengers side and Juno came over to your wound down window. "Hey (y/n) thanks so much for coming to get him. You know I worry about him gettin' home safe." Juno said with a guilty grin. "Yeah we all do Juno, you need me to drop you home too? Or are you all sorted for a lift?" You asked her as you heard Duck climb into the passengers side, mumbling some nonsense about your seatbelt being broken, which was funny considering last time you checked he was the one who broke it. "All set thank you, drive safely." She leaned into your window, "G'night Duck." She waved as she stepped back. "Have a good night Juno!" You called after her.  
You turned to Duck, "Hey Duck how're you holding up." You asked as you switched the car back on. "I feel fine but Juno thinks I'm a bit too gassed to go home." He said with a huff. "Yeah well that's something we can both agree on, heard you over the phone making a commotion that didn't seem all very sober to me so I think you're coming back to my place" you said, trying to be as direct as possible. You know Duck, it's better to just get to the point. "What about your parents?" He asked as he leaned into the door and stared out the window. "Out for the weekend, lucky right?" He responded in deep hum and you pulled out of the parking space. The tasty licks of Waysted Love by Grim Reaper made for a very adequate backing track to what could've been a vaguely uncomfortable silence between the two of you.  
"I didn't know you listened to these guys" Duck said, clearly trying to come up with something good to start a conversation with, "no shit, you bought me this tape, remember?" "Aw shit I did too."   
Way to shut that down. You weren't very good with people and you especially weren't any good with Duck, let alone when it was just the two of you. "I'm sorry that was harsh, I'm still feelin' pretty sick so I guess my patience isn't what it usually is." You explained apologetically. "Yeah no you're fine, dumb question." He sighed. "It's a good album though. Got a favourite track?" He asked, "Night of the Vampire. You?" You shot back, "Rock You To Hell." He said simply. "I thought you'd say that" you grinned over at him. He only hummed in response. "If you're tired you can try and take a nap, we're almost home but I don't want to have to carry you in babe" and oops that slipped out. You kept your eyes on the road and took the lack of response as a 'I'm sleeping' and not 'That was uncomfortable and I'm not sure how to let you down' silence. Fucking hell you're a dumbass sometimes. Babe. Idiot.  
When you pulled into your driveway Duck seemed to notice the car engine shut off and woke himself up. "Wake up sleepy." You said getting out of the car, you were still shellshocked from the babe incident that you really didn't want to overstep by helping him out of the car when in all honesty he probably could've used a hand. You noticed he was a bit wobbly when he made his way over to the door. You shoo'd him aside and unlocked the door, letting him in first. He took a hard left. "Couch is the other way Duck." You said as you set your keys down and started undoing your shoes. "Your bed is closer and way comfier." You heard him drawl as he turned the corner and was gone from your line of sight. Oh for fucks sake. "Duck, don't play me! I'm too tired." You called, not really sure what to expect from him. "Then go to bed." You heard him say from what you could only assume was your room. Asshole. He was right though, you were tired and wanted to go to sleep so you followed him down the hallway. When you got to your bedroom Duck was already seemingly fast sleep on top of your sheets. Fortunately he'd taken his shoes off first. You sighed and flicked your bedside lamp on. The couch was significantly worse to sleep on and at this point, you were still feeling worse about calling him babe than you were about passing out in the same space. You turned the main light off and made your way over to the unoccupied side of your bed. Making sure Duck was properly asleep you quickly changed into your pyjamas and slipped into bed beside him, switching the lamp off. Jeez what a weird thing to happen in such a short amount of time. you rolled onto your side to face Duck, it was too dark you decided. You squinted at him, the light of the LED display on your VCR recorder gave little help in trying to see Duck's face. "Goodnight Duck." You whispered, not really sure if he was awake or not.  
You rolled back over and let out a quiet sigh, you were probably going to be less than stoked tomorrow morning, you knew Duck would be too, If he wakes up with your cold that's entirely on him. Maybe you could get up before him and make pancakes or something nice?  
Before you switched your brain off you heard Duck's tired voice cut through the silence.   
"Goodnight, babe."

"Shut up Duck or you're on the couch."


	10. Kirby/Sylph!Reader

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kirby dating a Mothman without realising? Absolutely tragic, how will he react.  
> (Very well actually)

Published 6th April 2020

Love me some sweet sweet Kirby :)  
Hope y'all are doing alright, hopefully I'll be more motivated to write now that there's not much else to do!

"Hurry up! We don't have long until Ned gets back" Kirby said as the two of you rushed into the Cryptonomica, hand in hand. Kirby had promised to show you around the Cryptonomica, and of course you'd been there before but just wanted an excuse to see him.  
"I don't understand why we're being sneaky Birby." You laughed as he flipped on a light switch then went over to the back door, the one leading to the 'Chicanery' if you remembered correctly. "Ned doesn't know I know the password for this door, if he comes back when we're still in here I'm in big trouble." He explained as he punched a code into the keypad from memory. The door then beeped and made a click. Kirby tried the handle and it opened without a hitch. "Hell yeah! B'n'E!" You whispered with a cheeky grin. "(Y/n), I work here this ain't braking and entering" Kirby laughed as the two of you ventured further into the Cryptonomica.   
It was a little bit gloomy but there was so much to look at! The funny thing was this stuff all looked legit.   
The two of you began wandering around, stopping occasionally to gander at different displays. "Do you think these vampire teeth are real?" Kirby asked, gesturing you over to small glass case. "Fucking hell I hope not!" You laughed, peering over his shoulder.   
He leaned around and kissed you on the nose, you laughed and returned it. "You're too sweet babe" you smiled softly at him.  
"Really though I don't think Ned would fight a vampire for their teeth, they're probably fake."  
Kirby already knew about the folks at the lodge, of course he did. Ned wasn't that slick and you didn't want such a weird secret between the two of you. Ultimately he found out by accident when he did a a surprise drop in at the lodge to see you and the entire pine guard we're hanging out in the lobby. It would've been too much effort to explain why such a ragtag group of people from around town were all so close so you all decided he could know. But as far as the initial explanation he hadn't really pressed it, and he had made an effort to keep all lodge related things out of Lamplighters. You just assumed it was a little uncomfortable for him so you didn't press it either. It wasn't a weird thing between the two of you it was just a thing you were both aware of but didn't feel the need to talk about.

You were extremely stoked to be sneaking around the Chicanery with your boyfriend, you'd hoped to find something really exciting or enlightening.  
You stopped by a photo wall with the header 'KEPLER'. Fun. You looked over the many blurry looking photos, most of them were undistinguishable though funnily enough recognised one as Barclay. Not that you'd tell Kirby that. Your eyes scanned the photo wall with amusement, it was what you'd expect from a bunch of 'cryptid photos'. You were about to move on until you noticed a photo pinned in the top corner. Now hang on a minute. You tried reaching it but you were vertically challenged. "Birb, can you come help me with something?" You called out. Moments later Kirby was beside you. "What's up?" He asked, looking over the photos.  
"Can you grab that one up there down please?" You asked, pointing to the photo in question. "We shouldn't move anything around (y/n)." Kirby said nervously. "Please B." You said intertwining your hand with his. He sighed and reached up. Snatching the photo down for you. "Thank you!" You grinned as he handed you the photo.  
"What is it of?" Kirby asked, leaning over your shoulder. It was a fairly clear photo of some type of moth type creature mid flight, though it only had one set of arms so it definitely wasn't Indrid. It was a softer brown colour too, no mistaking it.  
"This is a photo of me" You laughed. It was unnerving but ultimately funny. You definitely didn't expect to find glam shots of you in the back of the Cryptonomica.  
"What?" Kirby asked, a bit lost. "Kirby, your boss has a photo of me in the back of his shop." You laughed as you handed Kirby the photo. "This is you?" He asked, completely shocked. "Yeah I'll show you when we get back to the lodge if you'd like." You suggested, oddly nervous, but he turned to you with a wide grin. "Really?" He asked with such enthusiasm you were completely thrown off, you weren't sure what reaction you were expecting but it certainly wasn't this. "I mean yeah I guess, I was really sure if you'd want to see me without this on." You nervously laughed which fumbling with your locket. "Are you kidding? Of course I want to see you I just didn't want to push you or anything." Kirby said as he rubbed the back of his neck. You laughed "we're so silly! C'mon let's beat it before Ned gets back." You said as you took the photo from Kirby. "What are you doing?" He asked as you turned your back to him. "Giving Ned my autograph and a little note!" You said as you took a pen out of you pocket and scribbled away. On the front you'd signed your name and on the back you wrote 'IT'S CREEPY TO TAKE PHOTOS WITHOUT ASKING, NED.' You grinned and handed it back to Kirby who let out a snort when he turned it over. "He's gonna be more impressed than mad if he sees this" Kirby chuckled as he pinned it back onto the cork board. "Exactly." You grinned as you took his hand and snuck out of the Chicanery. 

Once the two of you were safely clipped into Kirby's car he reversed out of the cramped parking space of the Cryptonomica and pulled onto the road. The drive to topside was always longer than you remembered but Kirby had a funky little mixtape of songs the two of you enjoyed in his car so it wasn't a boring drive. You were surprised his crusty old car could still make it up the mountain but it chugged on and soon enough the two of you arrived at Amnesty Lodge. It was late, probably around 10pm, so you quietly unlocked the door and slipped inside, Kirby right behind you.   
You knew Barclay would still be up in the kitchen and you could've guessed that Dani, Jake, Aubrey, and Moira would be kicking around somewhere. Lately they'd gotten into the habit of playing Pictionary after dinner and going late into the night with it. Usually you joined them but when Kirby offered you a hot breaking and entering date you couldn't refuse. The two of you passed the lobby. As you'd assumed, your friends were playing Pictionary in front of the fireplace, this time also joined by Agent Stern, which surprised you but you were very happy to see everyone getting on.  
Barclay came out of the kitchen with a tray of hot drinks and passed them out to everyone.  
Dani noticed the two of you sneaking past, "Hey you two! Y'all wanna join in?" She called, making everyone else aware of you. You gave Kirby a curious look and he shrugged with a smile. "Sure thing Dan, give us a moment to put our stuff down!" You grinned and she gave you a thumbs up.   
You and Kirby continued quietly down the halls of the lodge until you reached your room. Once you were inside you closed the door and turned back to Kirby. "I love you babe and I know this isn't going to change things but please indulge me for a moment." You laughed nervously. Kirby gave you a warm hug and rested his head on your shoulder. "It's up to you yknow. I'm not going to press you." He kissed the side of your face and pulled back. "Thank you." You smiled softly and reached for the clasp of your necklace. You paused, "heads up, I'm like.. a lot taller than I look." You informed and then unclipped your locket.  
In a pretty orange swirl you once again looked like a big moth, "tada!" You grinned as you fluttered your wings. "Wow!" Kirby exclaimed as he looked up at you. "You're not the Mothman are you?" He asked with a furrowed brow. You laughed, "no! But, I know the mothman, perhaps you'll meet him one day." You said with as much of a cheeky grin as you could convey with your Sylph form. "Can I?" Kirby reached out a hand, "of course silly, I'm still your partner." You took a step closer to him.   
The two of you spent a few minutes in your room as Kirby flattered you with all sorts of funny compliments ranging from 'you're such a nice colour' to 'your wings are very pretty'. By the time he was done borderline simping you the two of you headed back to the lobby where everyone else was still happily playing Pictionary, Agent Stern seemed to have gone to bed though.   
"Did you know Ned's got a photo of Barclay in the Chicanery." You said as Barclay handed the two of you hot chocolates. "Fuck off, really?" Barclay asked, half expecting you to be joking. "I'm serious, he labeled it 'tall bear' which still isn't really that far from the truth." You said as you took a seat on the floor beside Aubrey. "Far out" Barclay rubbed a hand over his face. "For someone so smart, Ned's an idiot" You laughed. "He's got s Kepler photo wall with a surprising amount of photos of our friends. But he does have Bigfoot fur and I refuse to believe that's actually yours." You said as you stared down Barclay. "Oh no that's definitely not mine." He said seriously. "Tall bear" Aubrey and Dani said in unison. Kirby sat down very close beside you. He knew the folks from the lodge but not that well. He was comfortable to be here but you'd spoken to him a while ago about it and he did say he felt a bit awkward at times. You rested your head on his shoulder and closed your eyes.  
"Love you Kirby" you said quietly.  
He leaned placed a kiss on the top of your head softly, "love you too mothman"

"I'm not the Mothman!"


	11. Indrid Cold/Hornet!reader

Published 2MAR2021

Long time no update! Behold this, the longest oneshot I've ever written! Also, my knowledge of the map of Kepler! 

Things were tense between the hornets and the lodge crew. They hadn't always been but ever since whatever fallout happened between Jake and Hollis happened there was an unspoken 'pick a side' dynamic. Of course that was bullshit and until someone told you what actually happened you were still going to visit Jake and his friends up at the lodge.  
Jake didn't want to talk about it and you knew he felt uncomfortable so you'd always leave any hornet themed attire back at the nest before visiting him. You'd usually bike up of a Thursday evening and stay for whatever delicious dinner Barclay was serving. Most times you'd ride home but every so often the lodge residents insisted you stay the night in an empty room and if there's one thing you know it's that arguing with Mama gets you nowhere.  
It was in one of those situations in which you actually met Indrid! You'd woken up on a Friday morning during winter and wandered out into the dining area, you knew that breakfast wouldn't be for a while but you enjoyed chatting with the residents and trying to poke your nose into whatever Barclay was preparing. On your way over to the kitchen you passed someone who you assumed was Dani curled up in the 'comfy chair', the reason you'd assumed it was Dani was because they had a massive sketch pad obscuring most of them.  
"Morning Dani, been up to much?" You asked as you leaned over the back of the couch opposite the chair. As soon as you said that she, or rather not she? Lowered the sketch pad you and you were met with someone entirely new.  
"Oh!" You breathed out. He was a lot to look at but not in a startling way, you'd say he was gorgeous if you were feeling brave or generous. He looked equally as startled to see you.  
"Sorry I thought you were someone else! You new?" You asked kindly, trying to move past the mistake. "No..." he said thoughtfully. "Are you new" he asked you. "No?" You responded in what sounded more like a question.  
There was a beat in which you both just stared at each other.  
"I'm (y/n), is not staying at the lodge but I'm here every so often, just sort of... vibing?" Ouch that sounded rough. He let out a short breath which you hoped was a laugh.  
"I'm Indrid, and likewise. I don't live here but I'm around on occasion. It's funny I've never seen you before." He sounded kind of blown away by that. "There's lots of people in Kepler, ain't too hard to miss the odd face here and there." You grinned at him, trying to kick away the tension. "That's... well I suppose you're right." He still sounded a bit lost but smiled curtly at you none the less.  
You pushed yourself back up off the back of the couch, "will you be staying for breakfast?" You asked, getting a feel for how long you'll be able to see him. He sighed, "I'm sure you know what it's like telling Barclay you won't be staying for food." You chuckled, "it's a yes then?" You smiled and he mirrored you, nodding.  
"Aight Indrid, i'll see you at breakfast." You waved and continued on. You got all the way to the doorway out until you remembered. "Oh!" You stopped yourself and turned back to him, "sick glasses!" You gave him a thumbs up and left the room.

Needless to say you did see Indrid at breakfast and funnily enough quite frequently after that. You almost always saw each other at the lodge but there was one instance further on down the track where that wasn't the case.

It was a Monday morning and you were tearing around Kepler with the rest of the hornets when you noticed someone out for a walk on the footpath. Usually you wouldn't pay any mind but the stark white hair tipped you off that it was Indrid you were looking at. You slowed down your bike and when the others glanced back at you you gave them a thumbs up, letting them know all was fine.  
You pulled up right beside Indrid who looked uncomfortable for a moment but then suddenly looked as if he'd had a moment of clarity.  
He smiled at you as you took your helmet off, "you're a hornet? I didn't see that" he said, scrunching his face up. "You're fine, we all wear full face helmets and the same jacket it's no stress you didn't recognise me." You reassured him.  
He looked unsure but nodded along with you. There was a comfortable silence between the two of you for a moment, it was nice just to touch base with each other. "The hornets and the lodge folk don't get along and yet, you're at the lodge every Thursday for dinner and mr Coolice." Indrid observed and quirked a brow. You chuckled, "well, the hornets don't exactly know Ive been at the lodge. And don't tell him I told you but I've been worried about Jake since he left the hornets. All his friends just turned their backs on him, of course I'm gonna try and cheer the kid up." You chuckled sadly and traced the grip on your handlebars. Indrid nodded. You gestured to the shopping bag he was carrying. "What're you luggin' today Indrid?" You smiled. "Oh, y'know! Nog." He said casually, like it wasn't a big deal that you've never seen him drink water before, only eggnog. You laughed, "yeah silly question... oh hey I have an idea!" You said excitedly. "I can give you a lift back to your place so you don't have to be out in the cold!" You smiled widely. Indrid seemed to ponder for a moment, seemingly thinking about all the things that could go wrong. Then after a moment he smiled gently, it was hard to tell if his face was pink due to the cold or perhaps something else. "You can put your nog in that bag" you pointed to the bag attached to the side of your bike. Indrid wordlessly lifted the eggnog into the bag and zipped it up again. He seemed cautious, "hey you can wear my helmet if you'd like, might feel safer?" You offered gently. He shook his head "no! I'd feel better if you used it!" He insisted, like it was the worst crime to even consider leading it to him. You hesitated, "if you're sure?" You put your helmet back on. "Besides it wouldn't fit over your glasses and I'm not sure if I've ever seen you without them!" You joked gently to him, he seemed tense but nodded along. There was a moment where he just stood beside your bike with his arms pressed firmly by his sides. "So have you been on a bike before? It ain't as scary as it might seem and I'm a good driver so you don't really need to worry." You flipped up the visor on your helmet to get a better look at him. He didn't usually look this stressed. "Oh! No it's... fine." He gave you a tight lipped smile and made his way towards your bike. It took a moment but he eventually seated himself behind you, "all good." He said. "Nah, you'll fly off the back as soon as I go you've gotta hold onto me." You laughed as you craned your neck around. He was sitting completely still with his hands folded in his lap. "C'mon" You reaches around and grabbed his hands, you both had gloves on but for a moment you wondered what skin to skin contact would be like, you hadn't really ever been close enough to even brush past Indrid at any point. You brought his arms around your waist and tried adjusting them properly but he wasn't being much help. "Indrid you've gotta help me out a bit I really don't want to be scraping you off the road" you said is less of a banty manor and more of a fact. After hearing that he switched back on and wrapped himself tightly around you. "Brilliant, where are we off to?" You enquired, realising you don't know where he lives, you hope he doesn't ask to go to the lodge. It's going to be one thing to explain who you stopped for but another if anyone sees you biking up the the lodge. "Eastwood RV Park." You heard him say, slightly muffled through your helmet. "Oh hell yeah, you ready to go? I promise I ain't gonna do any fancy stunt driving with you on back." You said cheekily, assuming the reason he was so cautious with getting a lift with you was because hornets had a reputation for being reckless on the road. You heard him gently hum and squeeze you tighter which you took as an 'I'm ready'. So you took off and blazed down the road again, the second y'all actually got onto the road Indrid pressed himself so tightly against you you thought he might squeeze you to death then and there. You'd never actually been to the RV Park but you knew where it was so there was no problem with navigation and you arrived in no time.

That was the last time you saw Indrid.  
You'd dropped him home and he thanked you warmly and explained that he didn't like being cold and was grateful to be out of the snow sooner. This time you hugged goodbye before the usual, "see you on Thursday!" Before you drove off again to rejoin the rest of the hornets. You had a spring in your step the for the rest of the week after your surprise meeting with Indrid and we're actually spending your time waiting for Thursday evening. The week went slowly and was a bit boring aside from the sink hole that opened up in town, which was definitely a wild event but it did little to put your mind to rest. By the time Thursday rolled around you'd actually gotten to the lodge a half hour earlier than you usually did which surprised everyone but when you got there Indrid wasn't around, that's fine, you're sure he was just running late, ran out of eggnog or something.  
Dinner rolled around and he still wasn't there, which was a shame because it was an especially yummy meal and you felt like he would've really liked it. You weren't very chatty during dinner and afterwards you gathered up the plates and took them to the kitchen. Barclay seemed surprise since you usually ran off with the younger kids as soon as dinner finished. "Need help washing up?" You asked as you set the plates down, turning the tap on. "I'm not gonna refuse help" Barclay said as he continued to work on whatever he had planned for sweets. You got to work washing the dishes which was an unfortunately big load as Duck and Ned has also started staying for dinner on Thursdays. "Say Barclay, you wouldn't know where Indrid's gotten off to? I sort of just expect to see him here nowadays." You tried to play it off as a joke but you weren't sure if Barclay could hear the disappointment in your tone. As soon as you asked that Barclay stopped doing whatever it was he was doing and there was a pause before he spoke. "That's.. Duck told me he left earlier in the week." Oh. Ouch. "Oh.. alright." Was all you could muster out as you felt disappointment quelling in your chest.  
"Did he say where he was going?" You asked after a long pause. "Not sure, you could ask Duck, I think he's outside." Barclay offered a sympathetic smile as you turned around to look at him. "Cheers." You thanked as you dried your hands on a towel. "And hey look, a lot of the folks 'round here got their own going on, I'm sure he wouldn't have left without saying goodbye without a reason." Ouch. "Thanks Barclay" you forced a polite smile and left the kitchen to find Duck who told you the exact same thing but more awkward and and disjointed. Needless to say Indrid had left and there wasn't really any way to get in touch with him so that was the end of that. Which hurt more than you'd expected.  
You didn't come around for Thursday dinner the next few weeks, which was petty but you were a bit sad. You also spent most of your time at home rather than the hornets nest. Fortunately none of the hornets questioned you but Hollis and Keith did visit you at home a few times and told you about all the cool stunts they'd pulled off, which was really lovely.

You didn't get your head back into the game until a few weeks later when tragedy hit harder than anyone was expecting. You got the news in a late night rushed text message from Keith and before you knew it you were out the door and on your bike towards the hornets nest.  
When you got there it was like a nightmare, it was worse than you could've imagined.  
The rest of the night went by in a blur of flashing lights and shouting voices. Nobody felt like being at the nest so after a good long while everyone split off into a few groups and went back to people's houses.  
You went with Keith, Hollis, and Pigeon back to your place, which usually would've been exciting but nobody was anywhere in the right headspace, and fair enough.  
The drive was bad, usually Keith would try to do something funny on the road but he drove like a model civilian. When everyone arrived you all silently filed inside and found yourselves a place in the lounge room.  
The silence was bad.  
Really bad.  
You honestly couldn't expect much more than this, what else was there to do?  
"Would anyone like a warm drink?" You asked after a while, Pigeon and Hollis nodded so you left into the kitchen to put the kettle on.  
What the fuck. There's no way that actually happened.  
Two Hornets, two of your friends. Gone. Just like that.  
By the time the kettle clicked off you had all the mugs set out and ready, gently pouring the water into each one as leaving enough room for milk. This is something you were good at. Everybody back at the lodge and at the hornets nest all said that you made the best tea.  
You carried the mugs back to the lounge room and clicked the heater on.  
Before you could sit back down Keith spoke up. "So there's something I haven't told y'all." He said hesitantly. "Go on." Said Hollis, who seemed to be doing the absolute worst out of everyone.  
"Y'know a few weeks ago when I fell off my bike and hurt myself?" Everyone nodded. "That ain't what actually happened." He grimaced.  
Over the next hour Keith explained in great detail what he'd seen and what he'd experienced, which was quite frankly unbelievable. You of course kept quiet on knowing Indrid and having anything much to do with the lodge folk. But the Mothman? That was something you'd have to process later.  
By the time Keith was done, Hollis was pretty pissed off, saying about how they 'had no right to do that' and 'how dare they keep everyone in the dark'. It was honestly pretty scary. Eventually Pigeon piped in with some weird bear thing she'd seen a few months back and how Duck had taken care of it for her. It didn't add up.  
You knew the lodge folk were good people! Hell, they were a bit funny but they were lovely and kind and what you were hearing didn't sit right with you.  
You all decided to go up to the lodge tomorrow morning and talk it out with them. Although you were sure Hollis wasn't going to be all that pleasant, understandable of course.

The next day went about as well as you'd expected, nobody listened to each other and it make things very weird between the hornets and Amnesty lodge. Mama commented that she hadn't seen you in a while and that made everyone look at you funny. All in all it was bad and left everyone with a sour taste in their mouth.  
And that's basically how the rest of the month went. It had been a good long while since you'd last seen or even heard about Indrid and with everything else going on you'd had to push your feelings about that aside, you could deal with that later.  
Everything seemed to just get worse until one evening Ned was on the tv. Which wasn't unusual but what he was saying was certainly unusual.  
After listening to what he had to say you and the rest of the Hornets headed to where this supposed archway was.  
You were opposed to violence but you didn't feel right sitting something like this out.  
It was another terrible evening.  
Awful in fact.  
You'd almost wished you'd stayed at home.

Everything suddenly got about 100 times worse for everyone.

With Ned gone and the hornets nest smashed to bits things were very out of whack.  
Aubrey and Duck started running around with Thacker, who nobody had seen in a very long time? It felt like a sting every time you'd see the three around and about and for a second you could've sworn it was Ned right there with them.  
Things went by strangely, you spent most of your time cleaning up and fixing the hornets nest. It was on one of those days when you caught sight of a weathered Winnebago drive past the nest. It was a strange time to decide to holiday in Kepler, what with all the fbi crawling around. But you pushed it to the back of your mind.  
It wasn't until a little while later when Hollis had asked you and Keith to come with them to the Cryptonomica did it click in your head.  
You hadn't been to the Cryptonomica since what happened at the archway but Kirby had done a surprisingly good job at keeping it running.  
You knew there was some talk of a plan for whatever reason and the hornets were helping out but aside from that you hadn't really been in the mood to listen, so it came as a surprise to you that Hollis had asked you to come.  
You entered the back room a few steps behind Hollis to see a small crowd of familiar faces crowded around a table.  
Really familiar actually.  
There sat Indrid Cold. Eyebrows furrowed, staring at a sheet of paper he had in his hands.  
"Hollis, (y/n), y'all are late." Mama said as you closed the door behind you.  
At the mention of your name Indrid glanced up for a second, gave you a little wave, and went back to glaring at the paper.  
Hollis elbowed you, "That's the Mothman" they whispered as y'all found a place to sit. Of course you knew Indrid.  
Indrid. A guy you assumed you'd never see again, a guy you really found yourself coming to like, a funny and kind guy. A giant moth, apparently. The two of you listened to the meeting, Hollis had some words to say but you mostly sat quietly and watched whoever was talking.. and Indrid. You watched Indrid a fair bit. Burning his face into your mind as if the moment you looked away he'd disappear again. He didn't look up very often and whenever he did it was to glance at Duck or Barclay. He didn't even look at you once.  
The meeting ended and Hollis offered you a hand standing up, which you took without hesitation. As much as you wanted to sit and talk to Indrid for hours you knew everyone was busy and he honestly didn't even seem too interested in you anyway.  
You ended up taking the rest of the day off and driving back home. Maybe you could get something productive done? Or maybe you'd just sit around and fuss.  
You did the latter for about 40 minutes before you decided you'd just suck it up and visit Indrid. As you got up to grab your keys the phone started to ring. It was an unusual occurrence but you answered it anyway, could be Hollis again.  
"Hello, this is (y/n)." You spoke into the receiver. "(Y/n), if you're going to visit today, there's a road block on Highland street so you'll need to take 3rd avenue instead and then turn onto East River drive." There was a pause after the voice on the other end, Indrid, spoke. "Thank you, is it alright for me to come around? I didn't have a number to call you on." You explained. "I'd enjoy your company, drive safely." Then he hung up. Huh. 3rd Avenue would take you right around town and would be far longer but if there's a road block there's not much other choice.  
You grabbed your helmet and locked the door on your way out. You passed Duck on the stairwell who seemed to be struggling to juggle a few large bags of cat food. "Need a hand? you look like you're pushing shit with a pointy stick." You offered as you set your helmet down. "Cheers (y/n), horrible mental image' you smiled as he passed you two of the bags, he then used his free hand to fish around for his keys in his pocket. "So you off to see Indrid?" He asked as he fumbled to get them in the door. You were a bit startled, "yeah, how'd you know?" You asked, curious to see how Duck would know that. "He said earlier that he had to get home and tidy before you arrived, just assumed you were heading out now." Duck said as he unlocked the door and pushed it open with his hip. That's crazy. "I hadn't told him I was coming though.." you thought out loud as you followed him inside. "He's got them psychic visions, makes it easier to know what might happen and what have you." Duck explained pretty casually. "I'm sorry he's got what?" You laughed as you set the food down on the coffee table. Duck thought for a moment before replying, "he's probably tired of having this conversation. Sure one of the hornets already told you, he's the Mothman." Duck said as he waved his hands around and made silly faces. You let out a small laugh, "heard that one." You confirmed. "Well, the guy also has 'mothman powers' such as.. wings? And seeing into all the different futures! It's a bit confusing but he explained it like looking at hundreds on tv monitors if that makes sense?" Duck tried to explain as he rested his hands on his hips. You nodded along slowly. "Huh, well that explains one or two things. But if he's the Mothman why does he look so? Not Mothman?" You asked as you leaned against the wall. Duck let out a long 'hmmmm' before saying "well he's from Sylvain and all the folks from there have a magical item, a glamour if you will, that keeps them looking human. It keeps them safe from prying eyes and the like. So when he takes off his glamour he turns into the Mothman!" You squinted and nodded slower than before. Duck picked up on your confusion "Try not to think too hard about it, besides he can do a better job of explaining if he wants to." Duck smiled as he turned to put the cat food in one of the cabinets. What an interesting day of learning this has been. "Well, id better get on the road but thanks for your time and insight, I'll catch you around Duck." You waved as you headed towards the door. "Drive safe, and pick up some eggnog on the way over if you wanna flatter him!" Duck called out as you exited. Flatter him? You weren't being that obvious you'd hoped.  
You scooped up your helmet and skipped down the stairs towards your bike.

You arrived at the RV Park later than you'd hoped, dropping by Leo's store for eggnog wasn't really out of your way due to the road block but you did spend a few minutes chatting in which Leo had deduced that you were going to see Indrid. It seemed like everyone around town knew him but that didn't feel like it was quite right. When you pulled up at the rv Park there was only a few full lots and you were willing to bet you could find Indrid's pretty easily. In saying that were was only one trailer that didn't have someone sitting outside it so you had to assume that one belonged to Indrid.  
You reached out a hand to knock but the door opened before you could reach it. "Hello" you gave a little wave, it was a bit weird being one on one with him again after so long.  
"Hello, please come inside the cold air's getting in." He quickly moved aside as you hurried in. Once you were inside he closed the door again, you admired the interior. It was a bit messy and uncomfortably hot but it had a certain charm that fitted so well you couldn't imagine him living anywhere else.  
"I brought eggnog!"  
"You brought eggnog!" You both said at the same time. He covered his mouth quickly after he realised. "Oh, future vision right? Duck told me, you're fine don't worry about it." You smiled gently as you set the eggnog down on the counter. "I know I just, Ive made an effort to not talk over you in the past but things are more stressful and, well I suppose I slipped up." He sighed as he picked up the eggnog and looked at it. He grinned, "this was very kind of you, (y/n)." He looked up at you, grin still visible and slightly too large. It was hot in here already but his smile was also very pretty. "It's nothing, a welcome back gift or something." You struggled to find words without sounding pathetic as Indrid opened up the cabinet and took out two clean mugs. He only hummed in response as he poured the two of you eggnog.  
"I didn't mean to be gone for so long." He said as he handed you a mug and gestured you over to a couch. "I didn't even mean to leave in the first place, things just got scary and I had to leave as fast as I could." He explained and he ran his fingers around the rim of the mug. "I don't blame you." You said softly. "I know, I couldn't see a single future where you were angry at me but I wanted you to know if i could've I would've said goodbye before I left." He said as you looked down at your mug. You nodded, "it sucked a lot. Not to try and make you feel bad but I was pretty upset about it. Oh actually you probably knew" you laughed a little, this was silly. He nodded and took a sip. The two of you stayed quiet for a moment, you weren't too sure what to say. "After this, fight.. will you leave again?" You asked quietly. He hummed, "hard to say, I'd like to stay, Kepler is nice and I like the people." Was all he offered you. "You too" He said hesitantly. You looked up, a bit confused. "I like you also, you're very kind." He smiled briefly before downing the rest of the eggnog in his mug. That was a very nice thing to say! It also made you feel a lot better about all the silly pining you'd been doing after him.  
You two of you spent the afternoon chatting about whatever came to mind, there was a lull in the conversation in which your mind wandered back to what Duck said about a magic item that makes him look not like the Mothman or whatever.  
You wonder what it could be.  
After a few moment of thought you settled on either the glasses or the necklace.  
The necklace could just be a pretty rock and his glasses could just be because his eyes are sensitive to some lights, but they the only two things that you'd never seen him without.  
You pondered on this for a little bit longer when finally, "it's my glasses" he said as he pushed them higher up the bridge of his nose. "My eyes are a bit sensitive but the main point is to keep me safe and looking less like a giant moth." He explained as you followed along closely. "Right... I think they suit you." Was all you managed to get out. You thought briefly about asking to see him without them but a look of panic washed across Indrid's face the moment you had the though. "I'm sorry!" You said putting your hands up. "No no you're fine!" Indrid said shaking his head, he laughed a bit, "last time I took them off for someone one of you Hornet's saw and well..." he paused, "You already know how that went" he said after a small consideration. "Yeah no you're right, I'm sorry I shouldn't have asked I didn't really think" you apologised. He laughed a little, "You didn't ask but I'll let it slide." He grinned. It didn't take too long for the conversation to pick back up again. Indrid talked about some of the places he's been and you talked about some of the cool stunts you did last ski season. It was a cosy little afternoon spent with Indrid and by the end of it you'd completely forgotten what it was like being lonely without him. It was also a nice break from having to worry about the fight ahead.  
If things went well you could definitely see many more afternoons spent with Indrid, and not that he'd tell you but he really could see those afternoons.


End file.
